Pokémon: The Unbreakable Bond
by OmegaLordtheFirst
Summary: Ash Ketchum is in the Sinnoh League finals. Now when he proceeds to a crime-ridden Kalos, will things change for the Pallet-native? This is going to be one for the history books. Realistic AU. Amourshipping(slow). Competent!Ash.
1. Chapter 1-The Battle has just Begun

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKEMON OR ANY OF THE MATERIAL I HAVE USED IN THIS FANFICTION, EXCEPT FOR ANY CHARACTERS OF MY OWN CREATION. IF I DID OWN POKEMON, ASH WOULD HAVE WON A LEAGUE!**

* * *

Chapter 1

Prologue

The Battle has Just Begun

A young raven-haired man walked alone at night, only his faithful Pokemon by his side. Everyone else, human or Pokemon otherwise had entered into the realm of Darkrai. Of course trainer Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town would have found this ironic considering who he had to fight in his next match in the Sinnoh League final.

Tobias and his Darkrai.

They had been an unstoppable force throughout the gyms and the league alike, never having to use any other Pokemon. There were only thoughts of winning on the 16 year old's mind. He had come so far since he started his journey. His previous League losses came to mind as he mulled over the next days match. Charizard refusing to listen to him, Charizard's tie against Blaziken making him unable to proceed to the next round, Pikachu's tie against Tyson's Meowth.

But with loss comes an opportunity to grow

And growth brings strength.

Every moment was fresh on his mind as if it had happened yesterday. Pikachu using all his remaining electricity into one final Thunder on Dragonite, Volt Tackle on Regice finally putting a stop to the legendary ice type Pokemon and the Pyramid King, Brandon and the Thunderbolt on Riolu putting down Cameron at last.

He had had his ups and downs in life, but he had always emerged stronger than before. It was finally time to see just how much stronger he had gotten. The final match in the Lily of the Valley Conference would be a test for his Pokemon. Would the strength that Ash Ketchum had forged from over 5 years of hardships bow down to the might of legendary Pokemon? Not if Ash Ketchum had anything to say about it.

* * *

Though the nervousness was still there somewhere in his heart, it was overshadowed and buried deep by the excitement he was feeling from the upcoming match. Six pokéballs hung from his belt. Six trusted and wise friends, all of whom were ready to battle amongst legends. He had to plead Gary to go around Kanto and get one of his Pokémon. From this point onwards only his skill as a trainer and his Pokémon defined him as a battler, and more importantly as a person. And with that he took his first steps towards attaining the new level.

The crowd was deafening as both trainers walked towards the battlefield. Each foe's every movement was observed by the other. They both stopped at the same time and gave a nod towards each other. A sign of acknowledgement for the other, though Tobias still had an overconfident smirk plastered on his face, while Ash showed a neutral expression.

Ash's eyes broke off first and searched the crowd until he found them. His friends in the region of Sinnoh that had supported him throughout his journey and driven him to become stronger.

Brock, the dark skinned rock-type specialists had been with Ash on his journey throughout many years and he had seen how his best friend had grown in strength from a rookie trainer who couldn't control a Charizard to a finalist in the Sinnoh League.

Dawn, the blue haired coordinator, had been just as supportive of Ash's dream as he had been of hers. He was a mentor of sorts to Dawn and she saw him as an inspiration of what she should be like.

Barry, the blond haired, hot headed trainer was a sort of rival who wanted to surpass Ash. He couldn't have his rival lose to anyone other than himself, could he?

The deafening crowd quited down as the judge began to finally speak,"This is a six-on-six match between Tobias Takuto of Jade City and Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. Substitutions are allowed and the match will end when all Pokémon on either side are unable to battle. Green trainer send out your first Pokémon!"

Ash steeled his nerves as Tobias released his first, strong but obvious, Pokémon. Darkrai. Ash just grinned slightly, though it was hidden by his cap overshadowing his face. He threw the half red, half white contraption with determination and excitement, yelling,"Sceptile, I choose you!"

The fully evolved form of the Grass type Hoenn starter materialized on the battlefield, twig in it's trademark position. Though his posture screamed arrogance, his eyes flitted across the battlefield scoping out every crack and crevice which could be advantageous or disadvantageous. After a moment's pause the first command came,"Darkrai use Dark Void!"

The Dark type legendary gathered energy and fired it off towards Sceptile. Though underestimating a Pokémon could lead to disaster.

"Start off with Sunny Day, then Quick Attack to dodge it Sceptile!" Ash shouted. Sceptile disappeared like a blur, reappearing very close to Darkrai, so Ash gave the next command,"X Scissor! Let him have it!"

With one jump, he closed the distance between them and crashed into the Nightmare Pokémon. Darkrai flew back and crashed into the ground, though recovering quickly, it stood back up and glared at the Pokémon that had dared to hurt him.

The crowd was silent. Never had Darkrai once taken damage, and now it just had, and that to a kid! Ash and Sceptile just grinned and got ready for his opponent to make a move.

In the stands, Brock, Dawn and Barry were shell shocked, the former lesser so than the latter. They thought that Ash would have lost atleast half his team to Darkrai before seriously doing some damage to it.

"Wow! Sceptile is so fast, I couldn't even see him move!" Barry shouted with glee. The crowd seemed to be in a similar line of thought. The kid actually seemed confident that he could win this.

Dawn had pride in her older brother/mentor figure. In her eyes, Ash was the best Pokémon trainer ever, regardless of if he won or lost. She had never seen anyone else treat Pokémon with as much compassion that he did. Though if compassion alone was not enough, power to go toe to toe against legendaries was nothing to scoff at.

Brock simply smiled, though it held respect and admiration for Ash in spades. The fan girls cheering for Tobias to ' crush that Ketchum kid' would soon realize it was sooner said than done.

* * *

Petalburg City Gym

Trainers had gone home disappointed that the gym was closed for the day, just given a reason that the gym leader had somewhere else to attend to. Right now, Norman Maple along with his wife and two children May and Max were engrossed in the Sinnoh League final. Max and his new starter, Treecko, had stars in their eyes as they saw Ash and his Sceptile land a hit on Tobias and his legendary.

"Wow! Isn't Sceptile just awesome?! We'll be just as strong very quickly don't you think, Treecko?" He asked his starter. Treecko nodded his head in determination and got ready to watch the match, just as the trainers gave out commands again.

"Luck won't get you very far. Darkrai, use Dark Pulse!" Tobias commanded. Dark Pulse formed between it's two hands and Darkrai fired them off as quickly as it could.

Ash saw them coming and pumped out his fists, shouting,"Cut it apart, with Dragon Claw"

Sceptile's hands got encased with a green energy and he threw them in front of him like a glove. Dark Pulse met Dragon Claw. Sceptile struggled against Dark Pulse but refused to back down. Just when it seemed that Dark Pulse would fade out, Tobias barked out his next command,"Ice Beam! Be quick about it." Ash and Sceptile's eyes widened as Ice Beam drew closer to impact. And then it hit. Ice spread around and over Sceptile like frosting on a cake. Soon, he was completely encased in ice.

Ash could only shout in distress,"No! Sceptile! Use Leaf Blade to break out of there! Come on you can do it can't you?" To the viewers it was an empty struggle, nothing else.

Their train of thought was cut off because of a noise. A crack. A crack in the ice. And then it was shattered, as Sceptile dropped to his knees in pain, his hands glowing green, signalling Leaf Blade.

Tobias was shocked as he saw a Grass type break out of a complete chunk of ice, though he wasn't done yet.

"Dark Void, once more!"

Darkrai charged up ominous energy in hands and fired it off towards Sceptile. Sceptile had barely recovered from the chilly situation he had just broken out of, as he got hit by Dark Void, putting it to sleep.

Ash's expression changed to one of fear and panic. He pleaded words of encouragement, even Pikachu shouting out in panic.

In a dark place, Sceptile's mind was trapped in slumber. He looked around and saw nothing but neverending darkness. Suddenly all his past failures in life started to flash in his eyes. His losses in battles, his inability to use attacks after evolving, how Meganium had been stolen from him by a Tropius. Each and every bad memory, kept repeating, as if on a loop. Suddenly, a Golden light started breaking through the darkness and Sceptile heard it.

His trainer's pleading voice along with Pikachu. Of course, how could he forget! He was fighting Darkrai. One who sent Pokémon and people alike into endless sleep, and tormenting them in their dreams. He couldn't just be defeated by falling asleep. He would never hear the end of it from Charizard.

In the real world, Sceptile's eyes snapped open, and the entire stadium fell silent. Sceptile got up and blinked the dreariness out of his eyes, getting ready to battle again. The crowd gasped. This Pokémon wasn't put down even after being put to sleep by the Lord of nightmares. His determination was nothing to be put down. Ash was nothing short of pleased and made a plan,"Sceptile, charge up Energy Ball and then hold it!"

There were murmurs among the crowd as to what the kid was thinking. But before any more discussion could take place Tobias was quick to retaliate,"Use Dark Void one more time!"

Darkrai fired it's signature move as quickly as it could, getting ready to end the match. Ash quickly finished off his plan by shouting,"Absorb Energy Ball, then use Agility at the last possible moment!"

Sceptile, without question, ate the Energy Ball and it's effects were immediate. Strength surged into his limbs once again, a greenish tint surrounded his body signalling a rise in power, and just as Dark Void was close to him he leapt into the air. Eyes focused on Darkrai, like a predator's on a prey.

When the darkness from Dark Void disappeared, Sceptile was nowhere to be found. Darkrai searched around the field but Sceptile was nowhere to be seen. Left, right, forwards, backwards, so that only left... Up!

As soon as Tobias looked up in sync with his Pokémon they were blinded by the sun directly above them, making them unable to retaliate for just a second, but enough. Sceptile fell from the sky as Ash shouted,"Now, Solar Beam!"

"Scep...tile!" Was a cry that was heard as a beam of pure solar energy came down slamming Darkrai into the ground, from which it was unable to get up a second time, while Sceptile landed on the ground, although on his knees from being frozen, but still very much conscious.

Silence for a moment. Then deafening roars were heard as a legendary fell in front of their eyes. Tobias himself seemed to be in shock as he recalled his Pokémon. Darkrai had never fallen before, yet it did. How could a kid manage to do something that no other trainer before him could?

But one thing was certain.

This battle was just getting started

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hey guys, this is OmegaLordtheFirst. I have been interested in righting a competent Ash story for quite some time now. This is my first fanfiction story ever. Hope you guys enjoy, and remember to favorite, follow and most of all review. I look forward to seeing people (hopefully) enjoy and criticise my work.**

**Onto the next topic, when will the next chapter be released?**

**Answer: I already have most of the next chapter ready to go(it's about 7,000 words). Most of the chapters will have an average length of 4,000-6,000 words. The next chapter will be up when I feel that a significant number of people have already viewed this work. Though if not, I'll still upload the chapter in 2-3 days, though don't expect all the chapters to be uploaded so quickly. I am currently in highschool so I have a lot going on.**

**This is OmegaLordtheFirst.**

**Peace out.**

**I will take your opinions into place when the story will advance to that point, of course. Somethings, on the other hand, have already been decided, so sorry about that.**


	2. Chapter 2- Sinnoh League Victors

**DISCLAIMER:I DO NOT OWN POKEMON, IF I DID ASH WOULD HAVE WON A LEAGUE. I ONLY OWN MY OWN CHARACTERS, NOTHING ELSE.**

**Author's Note: This is an Alternate Universe, so the rules for Pokémon are slightly different. They can learn more than 4 moves, you win money from League sanctioned matches etc etc. They will be explained as the story goes along. **

* * *

All of Sinnoh was waiting for the next choice that Tobias Takuto was going to reveal in his lineup. They were eagerly waiting for his next Pokémon. And disappoint he did not.

He simply recalled his Darkrai without a word and dropped a second pokéball unveiling his next choice.

The Pokémon had a blue, swan-like body with a yellow underside. It had pink eyes, a dark pink, round tuft on its head, and a pointed, beak-like snout. There were yellow, crescent-shaped ornaments on the sides of its head. It had glowing, pink, ring-like wings on its sides and back with paw like protrusions resting on its chest.

A Cresselia.

The crowd went wild. One legendary was breathtaking on its own, but two? That was on a whole other level.

Ash just gritted his teeth and said in a firm voice,"Sceptile return. You did well buddy." Sceptile nodded in agreement and got transferred back into the red and blue contraption for a break. Ash knew Sceptile had his pride, but for once he would swallow it, so they could win the battle as a whole.

He debated on his next Pokémon for some time before plucking a pokéball off his belt and flinging it into the air, declaring,"Snorlax, I choose you!"

And there landing on the battlefield was a huge, bipedal, dark blue-green Pokémon with a cream-colored face, belly, and feet. Its body was composed of mostly its belly, where most of its fat reserves accumulate. Its head was large, with small, pointed ears and two pointed teeth protruding from its lower jaw. It had large, hind feet with three claws and a circular brown paw pad, and its arms and five fore claws were short.

* * *

Meanwhile with Ash's friends...

Barry was shaking with excitement... Literally. He was jumping up and down in his seat while saying stuff like 'I'll fine you if you lose' or 'That's my rival for ya'. Brock just shook his head fondly at his blond haired friend's childish behavior. Dawn was cheering for Ash as loudly as possible. She might as well have drowned out the entire cheer for Tobias all on her own.

Their faces quickly got grim as they saw Cresselia take the field. Barry started complaining loudly,"What?! How is that fair? Are legendaries even allowed in this battle?" Barry's shouting was doing little to help Dawn's nerves. She was getting increasingly worried for Ash. She didn't know that Ash had come prepared for something exactly like this. Brock put his hand on her shoulder, and said,"Have some trust in Ash. He told me he came prepared for something like this, so today you are going to see the heavy hitters of Ash's team."

Dawn, though got somewhat reassured, said nothing and turned back just in time to watch the match start.

* * *

Snorlax scratched his head and yawned in confusion as to why he was battling so early in the morning, and partly as to whether Cresselia would taste good, unaware of the fact that he was battling a legendary. Albeit not in the higher tiers; but still a legendary.

The first command came from Tobias,"Cresselia, use Future Sight then get in close and use Zen Headbutt!" Cresselia flew with grace, the front of her body glowing and sparking with energy, and hit Snorlax directly in the stomach. The command for dodge would have been useless as Snorlax couldn't match Cresselia in speed. Snorlax got hit and slid back a respectable distance. Though Snorlax had scratches and bruises it was still raring to go.

Tobias growled in frustration and started to rethink a plan, but Ash wasn't just going to stand there and let him think,"Use Work Up followed by Ice Punch!" Snorlax moved forward and jumped with surprising speed for such a bulky Pokémon.

Tobias was not one to just sit still and commanded,"Put up Reflect, be quick!" Cresselia glowed pink, and Ice Punch was stopped in it's tracks by Reflect. Ash wasn't one to give up easily and retaliated quickly,"Quick, use Body Slam from above!"

Snorlax jumped high into the air, and aimed itself towards Cresselia. Gravity aided in Snorlax quickly gaining momentum. He seemed to part the air as he descended upon his foe. Tobias' eyes widened in shock as he saw the power behind the attack and shouted,"Stop it with Psychic!"

Cresselia started focusing energy towards Snorlax and stopped Snorlax in his tracks. Now Snorlax was stuck in the air above Cresselia like a giant balloon hovering in the air. Tobias smiled as his opponent's Pokémon was stuck in the air with nowhere to go. But Ash remembered a situation exactly like this one just in his previous match.

* * *

*_Flashback_*

Pikachu and Electivire were in a power struggle between Iron Tail and Thunder Punch, neither side backing down. When Paul gave the order for Electivire to use Brick Break with his other hand. The attack hit and ended up knocking out Pikachu.

*_Flashback_*

* * *

A smirk worked it's way up on Ash's face as he rolled up his right hand into a fist and punched the air in front of him shouting,"Alright Snorlax, use Hyper Beam!" The command was heard, and the order carried out. Energy built up inside Snorlax's mouth and was fired off all at once towards Cresselia.

Tobias had no counter. If Cresselia let go of Snorlax to counter Hyper Beam, she would get flattened by Body Slam, but if nothing was done Hyper Beam would definitely leave a mark. So he took a risk and said,"Let Snorlax go and get out of there quick!"

Cresselia wasted no time in getting out of the vicinity of the double attack, though it was not enough. When Snorlax hit the ground a huge explosion took place, kicking up a cloud of smoke and a portion of the stadium with it. All of it fell on top of Cresselia and although damaged, she recovered quickly while Snorlax was recharging from the aftereffects of Hyper Beam. Ash started thinking about how this match could be turned to suit his favour as both trainers waited for the smoke to clear to make their next move.

Tobias, wanting to end this quickly, called out,"Cresselia, Psychic that overgrown bear into the air, then follow up with Moonblast!"

Ash could only watch as Snorlax couldn't move after the backlash of Hyper Beam and get thrown into the air. But in the last moment as Ash saw gravity slow Snorlax down and slowly start his descent. He mustered up his confidence and yelled out,"Snorlax aim towards Cresselia and use Heavy Slam!"

Heavy Slam is an unusual move if not anything else. It increases in power as the user gets heavier. The heaviest rock type Pokémon like Golem and Aggron have trouble getting on top of the Pokémon to utilize the move properly. Given the fact that Cresselia was faster than Snorlax it probably would have dodged an attack even if tried from above, like Ash had learnt the hard way. But now she was too busy charging up Moonblast to avoid the Heavy Slam headed her way. Taking Cresselia and Snorlax's weight into consideration, it was safe to say that if Heavy Slam landed, then Cresselia would end up in a world of hurt.

Snorlax turned towards the Pokémon which had thrown him into the air and started falling towards her, engulfed in power. Moonblast hit Heavy Slam straight on.. doing absolutely nothing to it. Tobias gawked with open eyes at the behemoth that was Snorlax come crashing down upon his legendary. He quickly shouted out,"Ice Beam! Then after it's frozen, get out of the way."

Cresselia shot out an Ice Beam of immense power. But there were gasps when they saw the beam just wash over Snorlax like a stream of water.

* * *

"Why did Ash choose Snorlax? Isn't he extremely slow?" Questioned Barry as soon as both Pokémon were on the field.

"Snorlax ARE known as the sleeping Pokémon but they are surprisingly fast when it comes to anything food related. On top of that I think Ash wants Cresselia to deplete her power trying to stop all the bulky attacks that Snorlax dishes out, and take her out in one blow." Brock said wisely.

He had figured out Ash's plan when he had told Snorlax to use Work Up. But this also meant that Tobias had realized this.. unless he was confident that legendary Pokémon couldn't be beaten, which would lead to overconfidence. He would probably overlook simple strategies where increasing a Pokémon's stats could turn the tables.

* * *

As soon as Ice Beam washed over Snorlax, Barry looked ready to jump out of his seat and fine everybody in sight. So when nobody explained to him why Ice Beam didn't work as well as it was supposed to, Brock sighed and took the tedious task upon himself to spare others around him from the misery that was Barry,"As far as I remember Snorlax's ability is Thick Fat, which reduces the effects of Fire and Ice type moves."

Barry nodded his head in understanding and turned his head back just in time for a dust cloud to kick over the battlefield.

* * *

Just as Snorlax was about to collide with Cresselia, Tobias made a last ditch effort to save Cresselia,"Moonblast! Full Power! Then collide with Zen Headbutt"

Cresselia gathered energy inside its body as quickly as it could and fired it off making a direct hit against the falling tank. Though Snorlax looked battered from the direct hit he continued undeterred and just as it fell, Ash took an insurance to win,"Use Crunch!"

As soon as Heavy Slam met Zen Headbutt it was a contest of power and endurance. Snorlax pushed his head forward and used Crunch on Cresselia. Cresselia had already taken a lot of strain from using moves consecutively, along with holding Reflect against that lethal Ice Punch, whereas on the other hand Snorlax had taken Zen Headbutt and Moonblast straight on and exerted a lot of energy with Hyper Beam.

Their collision kicked up a huge dust cloud, surrounding trainer and Pokémon alike.

As the audience waited with excitement to see the conclusion between the power struggle of Snorlax and Cresselia, their prayers were answered. The dust slowly lifted off the ground, to reveal..

Both Pokémon on the ground, side by side, unmoving, unconscious, swirls in their eyes. Signs of defeat.

The referee raised both flags and said,"Both Pokémon are unable to battle. Trainers send out your next Pokémon."

* * *

"Yayy! East or West Ash is the best!" Dawn was cheering wholeheartedly for Ash to win. He had just tied with a legendary. This was still anyone's match. She couldn't be sure of Ash's win right now, but she sure could support him throughout the way.

Barry was still like an overexcited baby after a power nap. Jumping up and down, shouting occasionally about fining Ash for hiding his strength.

Brock on the other hand held a reserved judgement. He felt that Ash still hadn't gotten the match in the bag yet, so they shouldn't start celebrating. He believed that Ash had a good momentum on his side and just had to keep up the pressure.

* * *

Ash unhooked Snorlax's Pokéball from his belt and aimed it towards the Sleeping Pokémon. He muttered praises to his loyal giant,"Thanks buddy, you were awesome. Don't worry about a thing we'll win this for sure. I'll get you tons of food after the battle."

Snorlax seemed to have heard his praises and even while unconscious was able to acknowledge it with a grin,"Snor- lax."

Tobias on the other hand seemed frustrated and angry. He had thought that with legendary Pokémon on his side he would be unbeatable. But in fact this kid, Ash Ketchum seemed to have the advantage. He gritted his teeth in agitation and made his next choice,"Terrakion! Show them your power!"

The Pokémon erupting out of his trainer's Pokémon was no doubt strong. Terrakion was a bovine, quadruped Pokémon. It had a black, rounded forehead adorned with two sharp brown horns that curved forward. Its face was beige with orange eyes and a short snout. On top of its head were several short spikes. Down its back were two brown ridges that joined just past its shoulders. There were two orange protrusions on its shoulders. The bands around its legs were the same color as its face, and it had black hooves underneath these bands. It was striped underside is also beige. It had a short, stubby tail.

Ash had resigned to the fact that Tobias would have a full team of legendary Pokémon, so at this point, it wasn't even a surprise anymore. His fingers hovered slowly over each red-white contraption hooked to his belt, while he contemplated his choice. Rock and Fighting type.. so it won't matchup well against..

He made his choice, excitement brimming in his voice he shouted out,"I choose you-"

The Pokémon released from its long stay was a dark purple, bipedal Pokémon with a roundish body. It had red eyes and a wide mouth that was curled into a sinister grin. Multiple spikes covered its back, and it had large pointed ears. Its arms and legs were short with three digits on both its hands and feet. It also had a stubby tail.

"Gengar!"

Gengar gave an evil cackle as soon as it materialized onto the field making the audience shiver in their seats. Meanwhile, on the other side of the stadium Tobias was thinking about how to deal with the dual ghost-poison type Pokémon. This time Ash was the first to make the move,"Use Sludge Bomb!"

Gengar threw out sludge towards the Cavern Pokémon. Tobias countered quickly with,"Throw out Protect to block it!"

The Rock-Fighting type legendary Pokémon formed a Protect in front of itself to counter against the incoming Sludge Bomb.

As Protect faded, Tobias pushed forward while yelling,"Follow up with Stone Edge!"

Terrakion smashed it's legs into the stadium, making stones thrust out of the ground, heading straight towards Gengar. Ash could feel excitement racing through his veins. Clashing both his fists together then pumping them out he called out,"Stop it with Energy Ball!"

Gengar gathered up energy into one point between his short paws. Just as the Stone Edge was about to hit , he launched Energy Ball to collide with it effectively stopping it. There was a blanket of smoke covering Gengar, hiding him from Tobias and his legendary Pokémon's view.

This time Tobias made the first move,"Ground it into dust with Iron Head!" Terrakion's head glowed silver as it charged. Ash could see the power behind the attack and knew he couldn't allow it to hit his Pokémon. He quickly called out,"Stop it in its tracks with Sucker Punch!"

Upon hearing the command there was an evil cackle heard once again and suddenly a glowing dark fist, materialized in front of Terrakion and collided with it, stopping Iron Head from making contact.

Tobias growled slight as he saw his Pokémon take damage once again. He had to find a counter to hit Ketchum where it hurt. Just as Terrakion got he called out,"If direct attacks won't work, then we'll whittle it down with Sandstorm!"

Dust from the ground started flying around as the winds picked up. Gusts of wind swirled around the stadium at high speeds. Ash had limited vision on the battlefield. He couldn't even see where his opponent was standing. Think. What could he do in a situation like this? Wait... That's it! His eyes acquired a gleam of excitement, or was it madness? He punched the ground, while exclaiming,"Use Focus Punch on the ground!"

Gengar drew energy into a single fist and then bent down and punched the ground. The result was immediate. Mass destruction followed. The ground cracked as massive chunks of stadium were sent flying into the air and landing around Gengar. Now effectively, both trainers were blind in respect to the others Pokémon. Ash quickly pushed ahead calling out,"Use Icy Wind to cancel out that Sandstorm!"

Gengar opened its mouth and let out huge breaths of sub zero degrees. Gengar couldn't have matched a legendary Pokémon like Terrakion's power head on. But a slowly diminishing Sandstorm could be countered with a full powered Icy Wind. Wind battled against wind. Dust started coming together and forming ice chunks together with the moisture in the air. They hit Terrakion sending him back as it wailed in pain.

Tobias formed a counter plan and shouted,"Destroy that barrier with Rock Slide then follow up with Zen Headbutt!" This was one of his trump cards against Gengar and he had saved it for this moment. Rock Slide immediately broke through the chunks of debris surrounding Gengar, damaging him too in the process. Terrakion charged with intense speed, powering through the Icy Wind and hit Gengar head on. Tobias smirked. This had to be the end for the ghost-poison type Pokémon. Looks like Ash Ketchum had run out of powerhouses to match legendaries. Never had a statement ever been so wrong before. As soon as Gengar flew back and hit the ground, it's body faded away. There were murmurings and gasps among the crowd as to what had happened.

Ash smirked and called out ,"Disable! Then use Poison Jab!" Tobias' eyes widened in shock. No way! Gengar should have been knocked out. He suddenly realised what had happened, Gengar had used Substitute to lessen damage from Zen Headbutt. It was a good strategy, he had to admit that.

Terrakion shivered a bit as it felt a weird presence enter his body, severing off its connection with Zen Headbutt. Then Gengar materialized in front of him and used Poison Jab on its face. The impact didn't send Terrakion very far back, but it did damage. Then suddenly Terrakion was covered with a purplish glow and it started taking damage. It was poisoned. Ash had lucked out. Poison would help him take down the bulky Pokémon much quicker than before.

Tobias was shocked. He didn't think Terrakion would have been pushed so far. He had to reveal his final trump card he had been saving for using against the Elite Four or Cynthia. He barked out,"Rest! Then follow up with Sleep Talk!"

Terrakion closed its eyes and dropped to the ground immediately, snoring before it touched the ground. Ash had thought that a bulky Pokémon like Terrakion would have Rest in its move set. Gengar had been chosen specially to counter it. He had to be careful right now if he had to succeed in pulling of his simple yet genius strategy.

Terrakion, still sleeping, stood up and stomped on the ground, shaking the stadium to it's core. Ash's eyes widened in shock. It was using Earthquake!

"Get out of there quick!"

But the cry was in vain. Gengar couldn't move fast enough and was sent flying through the air. Though struggling, it managed to stand up for the sake of its trainer. He wasn't going to let his trainer down in their first battle together in years.

Ash saw the state of Gengar and knew that he would go down in the next hit. He had to heal him up... Now was the time to use Tobias' strategy against him. Ash quickly called out,"Use Dream Eater quick!"

Gengar's eyes glowed blue as Terrakion shrieked in pain. Tobias knew if this kept on going, Terrakion would be doomed to lose. He called out in a last ditch attempt,"Use Sleep Talk once more!"

Alas, luck has its limits. And this time Sleep Talk used Close Combat. The sleeping body of Terrakion lumbered slowly over to Gengar, all the while it's energy being drained. It's limbs glowed white with energy as it stood on it's hind limbs and tried to punch Gengar, only for all of his efforts to be wasted. Ghost type Pokémon were immune to Fighting type moves. That was a basic law of the universe, made by Arceus.

And finally, it's body succumbed to the pain. It's foe moved back as it dropped to the ground. Terrakion was down.

* * *

Brock was amazed at what his fellow Kantonian was doing on the battlefield. He was controlling the match. Overwhelming power was either matched with speed, in case of Sceptile, durability and endurance, in case of Snorlax, or unorthodox strategies, in case of Gengar. He always had an unusual and unpredictable way of battling. That's what made it so fun to travel with the young Kantonian trainer. Well... That and the fact that cute girls seemed to get attracted to him like moths to a flame. Now, if only he could remember that one girl's name...

Dawn was probably going to have a sore throat by the end of the match, but right now she didn't care. She was too busy cheering for Ash to think about the aftereffects. Though this match was far from over, and Tobias was still probably packing Arceus knows which legendaries, for her he had already done well enough in her eyes.

Barry was feeling sort of angry. It felt as if his rival had pulled ahead by leaps and bounds, and was hiding his strength. Though know he vowed to himself to catch up to him, and prove to be a worthy rival.

* * *

Tobias withdrew his Pokémon and didn't do anything for a moment, then he spoke,"I never thought I would be pushed past Darkrai till I got to the Elite Four. You have done well to get this far Ketchum. It will be far enough!" With that, he drew out another Pokéball from beneath his cloak and tossed it revealing another legend.

The newest member of Tobias'roster was a reddish-brown Pokémon resembling a tortoise and a ram. It was dotted with orange and gray spots, and it had metal bangles locked on its legs. Its four claws on each of its feet were in a cross formation. It had a gray underside, and its face was covered by an iron mask, with red-orange eyes uncovered.

The Lava Dome Pokémon.

Heatran.

Ash looked at Gengar wondering if it wanted to battle. Gengar knew that it didn't have much more energy left to battle. Dream Eater though had replenished his body physically, he couldn't use more attacks. Even one attack was probably overestimating it. Even then it wanted to go down fighting. Unlike Sceptile, who Ash had wanted to save for any other slow Pokémon, Gengar had done enough for his trainer already.

Ash acknowledged the request from his Pokémon. What could he do that would give them the most results from one attack. He didn't have a good Pokémon to match up against a Steel *_and_* Fire type legendary like Heatran, and he wanted to save *_him_* for later. He was going to have to use Pikachu after this, so...

Yeah! Ash raised his hands towards the sky and called out,"Rain Dance!"

Gengar's body glowed blue, as clouds gathered in the sky and a slow drizzle turned into a downpour. Tobias merely gave the command,"Use Flamethrower"

There was an intense whirlwind of fire surrounding Gengar. And when it stopped Gengar was lying on the ground. Unconscious, but still grinning like a madman. Ash also smiled that his Pokémon had done his part and murmured praises to him before readying himself for the upcoming hurdle.

A small voice interrupted his train of thoughts. "Pi-Pi-Pikachu" squeaked the small electric mouse from beside Ash. Ash smiled down at his first partner and held up his hand in a fist towards him. Pikachu grinned at fist bumped Ash and with an excited cry leapt onto the battlefield, cheeks crackling with electricity. It landed on four paws and stared down it's opponent.

Ash and Pikachu were ready for battle.

* * *

Team Rocket had been placing bets in favour of the twerp. Right now it was a thousand to one on the twerp actually winning. The one being Team Rocket. They were actually rooting for the twerp. But it wasn't for the reason that they liked him or anything. This would show that they only go after strong Pokémon. Yeah. That's it.

James and Jessie were shouting out words of encouragement at Pikachu as it entered. Meowth then yelled,"You better not lose mouse! I've got a lot of money on you!"

And they could swear.

Pikachu looked towards them, his sensitive ears picking up their voice, and nodded.

* * *

Tobias was feeling anger. First the brat called Ash Ketchum had matched and defeated three of his legends, now he was mocking his power, by sending in a pint sized Pikachu? He was going to crush that mouse so badly, he wouldn't even want to battle again.

Anger taking over, he called out,"Crush that mouse with Earth Power!" Heatran raised one of its legs and stomped down. Hard. Ash quickly retaliated.

"Iron Tail on the ground! Quick Attack to follow up!"

Pikachu wasted no time in channeling energy in it's tail and smashing it into the ground. As soon as the ground erupted, it was met with the counter from Iron Tail. Cracks spread on the already broken stadium all around Pikachu. As soon as he landed Pikachu broke into a sprint, to not give Heatran enough time to track him. Tobias had a different line of thought. It didn't matter that they couldn't see Pikachu. Heatran had plenty of attacks of wide range area. He would be crushed.

"Use Dark Pulse all around you, finish it!"

Heatran glowed an eery black, and released a wave of dark energy all around itself. Some of which would hit Pikachu, though Ash wasn't going to let his starter take this sort of damage.

"Thunderbolt Counter Shield!"

Pikachu stopped circling Heatran and started spinning on its back while using Thunderbolt. Tendrils of electricity spread around Pikachu, deflecting the dark aura being released from Heatran. Each collision between attack and defence creating a cover of smoke around Pikachu. After a while the attack stopped and Pikachu jumped back up ready for going on the offensive. Ash also had a similar line of thought.

"Pikachu use Volt Tackle!"

Pikachu gathered electricity all around himself and started charging at Heatran with amazing speed. He collided head on with the Fire-Steel legendary and sending it back.

It skidded to stop, not having been thrown very far, and glared at the little Mouse Pokémon for daring to hurt a strong Pokémon such as itself. Tobias was the same as it's Pokémon only wanting to end it quickly and painfully.

"Heatran now that it's close Magma Storm!"

Pikachu was surrounded by a tornado of flames which battered away at the little Kanto Pokémon. With each hit Pikachu drew closer to being unable to battle. Ash quickly surveyed the situation in shock and hurriedly, and a bit panicky, called out,"Thunder to get rid of the storm!"

Magma Storm's power was considerably weakened due to Rain Dance. The clouds started sparking and suddenly a thunder was thrown down which charged up Pikachu.

"Pika-CHUUU!"

With a loud cry, he released the Thunder . Thunder broke through the wall of flames dancing around Pikachu and surged straight through Heatran. Heatran gave a disgruntled cry as it was hit with the powerful attack. Pain surged through it's body.

No. Not pain.

Electricity.

Just as the attack stopped Pikachu dropped to ground on all fours, though it's fur was badly singed.

Tobias gave the command to put a stop to this unusually powerful mouse. He was strong. That much even Tobias could accept, though he couldn't possibly beat a legendary.

"Use Flamethrower, roast that puny mouse to a crisp!"

Heatran opened its mouth and launched an enormous vortex of a Flamethrower towards the yellow mouse. Ash quickly retaliated by calling,"Volt Tackle with all you got Pikachu!"

Pikachu wasted no time in charging forward, electricity surrounding him like a blanket. The stadium, or atleast what was left of it, was getting cracked even further, by the spare lighting bolts sparking off of him. At the last moment that both attacks would have collided Ash yelled,"Dodge it!"

"Pika!" Pikachu back flipped and used his tail as a spring, hitting himself into the air, passing above the attack harmlessly. Turning, he faced Heatran and charged forward,"Pika-pika-pika-pika-pika-pika-CHUUUU!"

There was a huge collision which made all the previous ones look tame. There was a cloud of dust surrounding the area of the collision. Ash wanted to know what had happened as soon as possible. Then slowly, it parted to reveal a bruised and weak Pikachu standing near a collapsed Heatran.

"All right you did it Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed with evident joy in his voice. Pikachu put up a grin as well and raised his two fingers in a universal peace gesture. But suddenly, Heatran's eyes snapped open.

"Heatran use Explosion" Tobias said in a monotone voice. No hint of human emotions at all. Ash's eyes widened and he called out,"NO! Get out of there Pikachu!"

By Pikachu didn't have anymore energy left to spend. He simply closed his eyes and accepted his fate. The explosion rocked the battlefield, and through it Pikachu was sent flying. He crashed into the wall, and multiple cracks appeared in it.

The referee was declaring that both Pokémon were unable to battle, but he barely registered those words. Ash quickly ran to to check up on him, he gently lifted Pikachu out of the crater in the wall. His eyes were tearing up. Pikachu opened his eyes weakly and saw his trainer crying. He gave a small squeak, trying to say that he was alright. Ash looked at the small Pokémon in his arms and his fear for Pikachu was replaced by something else.

Anger. Against Tobias. Pikachu was already at his limit. There was no need to injure him so much, and that too at the risk of his own Pokémon. He must be getting desperate if he had to resort to attacks like Explosion.

* * *

Up in the stands Brock, Dawn and Barry were horrified. Pikachu was looking so weak. That was a dirty move by Tobias to break Ash's spirit of battle. Brock had his head down, not a word uttering from his mouth. Dawn was similarly quite too, her cheering had taken a break as she saw Pikachu take such a heavy beating. Barry on the other hand was shouting,"Why that dirty little.. I'll fine him for trying a dirty tactic like that."

Suddenly Dawn asked her second Kanto friend,"Will Ash be able to battle after Pikachu being hurt so much? I mean won't he just forfeit?"

A grimaced chuckle from Brock is what she got as an answer,"If Ash did forfeit, then Pikachu's sacrifice would have been in vain. I think after seeing how ruthless Tobias is, Ash won't be pulling any punches."

Barry had a puzzled look. He questioned,"So wait a moment? Ash has been saving his best Pokémon till now?"

"Yes, he felt that incase Tobias had a surprise up his sleeve, his ace would match it and I have no doubt he will."

There was silence. Barry was almost afraid to see which Pokémon Ash had up his sleeve. He slowly turned his head as he watched Ash set down Pikachu on the ground and cover him with his coat, like a cocoon.

* * *

Ash gently spoke,"Don't worry about a thing buddy. You know who's coming in now. He won't lose after this."

Pikachu nodded and giggled a bit, though it was still feeling extremely weak. Ash's smile then disappeared, as he took on an emotionless face and turned towards Tobias. He called out to Tobias holding out a Pokéball which glinted in the sunlight,"You won't win this match today Tobias."

Tobias smirked,"Bold words. Can you back them up I wonder?" He recalled Heatran wordlessly and threw the next legendary onto the field.

This legendary was a complete change from the previous one. It was a Pokémon with a bird-like body stylized after a plane. Its body flowed slowly into a thick neck, giving it a bulky appearance. It had no legs, but was floating instead. Most of its body was blue, with white areas near its arms and a white stripe on its back that extended up to its head. Jet-plane wings sat on top of its back, while two tall, jagged fins pointed behind it from its rear. A red triangle marked the center of its chest, while a red mask partially covered its face. Long, ear-like fins its jaws to over its head, and its eyes are red. It had three-fingered arms with a red covering on the outer side of the lower arms.

Latios, one of the Eon duo.

A Psychic type.

As well as a Dragon type.

Time to bust out the big guns.

Ash put the Pokéball to his chest and felt the warmth pulsating from it for a second. Then with drive and determination he yelled out,"I choose you-"

An earth shattering roar pierced the sky as the Pokémon landed in the battlefield. Cracks spread just from it's arrival. The wings on his back were untangling itself from each other. Each flap creating a gust of wind. Each roar enough to send Pokémon stuttering back from where they came. Fire was thrown into the sky, signalling challenge. Arms flexed, showing strength. Teeth glinting, eyes burning.

"CHARIZARD!" He gave another roar signalling his arrival. He turned his head to see the scoreboard. Four of his opponent's Pokémon shadowed grey. Darkrai, Cresselia, Terrakion and Heatran. Four legends that Charizard's comrades had taken down. On their own side, Sceptile was still lit. So the stupid tree managed to do it. And the rest.. Snorlax, Gengar and Pikachu greyed out. They had done well. Well Snorlax was probably more hungry than injured but that was a point for later discussion.

He turned his head to look at Pikachu's condition. His eyes widened in shock. There he was laying so still, as if he had no life. He could see his trainer's face was threatening to spill tears. That was when Charizard's purpose had changed in this battle. it wouldn't even be fair to call this a battle now. No it would be a... Massacre.

Trainer and Pokémon's eyes met and nodded. They would win. No matter what. Charizard's head turned back and the fire breathing lizard got ready to inflict punishment. No trainer should ever injure a Pokémon that much.

The referee lifted the flag signalling the start of the end. Both trainers simultaneously called out,

"Flamethrower!"

"Luster Purge!"

Flames and psychic energy clashed in the center of the field. Charizard was more than a match for a legendary. After kicking up a cloud of smoke, both Pokémon waited for the next move. Charizard was already spreading his wings, knowing what his trainer wanted him to do.

"Go through the smoke and use Dragon Claw!" Charizard flew with such speed, the smoke was immediately dispersed as he got closer to it. His claws were glowing green with draconian energy.

The legendary Pokemon of the Eon duo was shocked. Never had he seen such speed in the air, except in himself in his sister. His speed and power were holding no edge against this mighty Kanto Pokémon. Both trainer and Pokémon were in too much of a daze to do much except watch. And then it hit. And each hit was like a Judgement from Arceus itself.

And it didn't stop. Not one, not two but several slashes were inflicted upon the legendary, after which Charizard finally flew back a bit to get to a safer distance. Tobias recovered quickly and knew he had to stay on his toes for his legendary to last against the Fire-Flying starter.

"Use Water Pulse!"

"Deflect it with Steel Wing!"

Latios charged a watery orb in it's short hands and chucked it at Charizard. Charizard's wings were already in motion, gleaning silver they spun around, catching the Water Pulse and deflecting it towards the side. They both stopped and glared at each other. These were two Pokémon fighting for dominance. Both trainers were in a similar situation, wanting to defeat each other.

"Use Thunderbolt to bring down that stupid lizard!"

"Use Thunder Punch to absorb it and hit Latios!"

Charizard spread his mighty wings and with a loud roar charged at Latios. His clawed hand closed to form a fist, crackling with electricity. As soon as the Thunderbolt was about to hit, he threw his hand up to protect himself. Though the Thunderbolt hitting, caused him to wince, he ignored the pain and flew forwards. As the Thunderbolt stopped, Charizard stopped just in front of Latios, punching him just once. All the electricity combined from Thunderbolt and Thunder Punch hit Latios at once, creating a shockwave which threw him back making him crash back into the wall.

Tobias was in shock. Whatever this monster was, he was strong. He had been destroying Latios with ease. Tobias had wanted to destroy the kid's will to battle by giving one of his Pokémon a heavy beating. But it had the opposite effect. He was only attacking. And with a Pokémon like that who could blame him? That Charizard was oozing power as it moved. Latios was on his final legs. Tobias knew this. And so he had to go with,"Last Resort!"

Ash's eyes widened in shock. Last Resort was an extremely powerful move which had a similar effect as it's name. It was in effect, a last resort. Ash had to match the devastating power it would have.

"Charizard, Overheat!"

Charizard opened his maws as wide as they could go and built up a blazing inferno inside his mouth, getting ready to deliver the final blow to a second legendary in his battle history.

Latios was gathering energy in front of him in a struggle. He could feel that the electricity would paralyze him any second. Latios knew that he couldn't defeat this beast. But maybe he could just weaken it so that she could finish him. He didn't even know whether this was his foe's full power or not. Overheat was not the most powerful attack that a Charizard could learn. They released their attacks simultaneously. One was pure white, while the other, pure red. Latios closed his eyes as he braced for impact, unconsciousness already claiming him.

The attacks didn't just cause an explosion, they caused an earthquake as well. Latios was thrown back into the wall again deepening the crack he had just formed. Charizard was thrown back halfway through the stadium and landed on the ground.

The referee saw the state of both Pokémon and declared,"Latios is unable to battle, Charizard wins."

Ash saw his Pokémon take damage and called out in concern,"Charizard, are you okay?"

Charizard shook of the dust from his wings and snorted flames as his answer. Ash grinned, though it hidden by his cap. This was the result of the brutal training Charizard had gone through to not only become the top predator at the Charicific Valley. But also to regain his former strength, dulled by all the time he didn't listen to his trainer, and didn't battle. Ash didn't put his Pokémon through such a rigorous training regimen like he had allowed with Charizard. But it was what Charizard had wanted to get stronger. And who was he to stop him?

Tobias, with a shaky hand, recalled Latios and grabbed his next Pokéball. It was his final hope. Though the hope of winning was being crushed by the beast that was Charizard, the same way as Tobias had crushed Pikachu. He sent out his next Pokémon, though it was without vigour.

The last Pokémon in Tobias' arsenal was almost similar to the previous one. Her eyes were yellow, instead of red and a blue triangle marked the center of her chest. Instead of a blue mask, she had a red mask partially covering her face.

Latias.

Charizard was ecstatic. He would become the first Charizard to ever defeat the Eon duo alone. This was an opportunity he couldn't pass up. He knew he could win, if he believed in his power as a Pokémon, his trainer's skills and their unbreakable bond they had formed through years of hardships. Charizard roared flames into the sky in enthusiasm.

Ash was getting pumped. It had been too long since he had fought with his first fully evolved Pokémon. They would win this. Infernape would get the rest that he deserved. There was no other way.

As soon as the referee signalled the start of the match, both trainers were quick to follow.

"Into the air Latias, then use Dragon Pulse!"

"Fly Charizard, then attack with Air Slash multiple times!"

Charizard and Latias both flew at untraceable speeds. While one opened her mouth to draw draconian energy, the other spread back his wings manipulating air with each stroke. Dragon Pulse was launched towards the Flame Pokémon with quickness that was seen in few Pokémon. Charizard flapped his wings multiple times, raining down multiple slashes of air, successfully dissipating the beam heading towards him. Tobias wasn't going to throw in the towel now. He was desperate to win now.

"Latias use Psychic bring him down!"

Latias' eyes glowed, and suddenly psychic energy surrounded Charizard and colliding with him resulting in Charizard was falling from the sky. Ash saw this and in a scared voice called out,"Charizard!"

Charizard immediately opened his eyes in tandem with his trainer's voice. He righted himself mid flight and started flying towards Latias with even more speed than before.

Ash laughed a bit and communicated,"Alright then. Use Dragon Rush!"

Charizard's roar echoed throughout the stadium as he was engulfed with energy. Tobias saw the attack coming and retaliated,"Use Zen Headbutt! Full power!"

Latias gave a cry of her own and surrounded herself with a pinkish aura, while charging towards the Fire-Flying Pokémon. Ash saw the attack coming and changed up the plan, he yelled out,"Charizard, dodge it and use Seismic Toss!"

As soon as both the attacks were about to collide, Charizard moved to the side and grabbed Latias' wings, stopping her in her tracks. Charizard gave a feral grin which promised pain. It gave Latias shivers from seeing it. He started flapping his wings, while lifting the legendary in his grasp towards the clouds.

Tobias gawked at his legendary being lifted higher and higher towards heaven. He called out in a last ditch attempt,"Use Thunder!"

Latias, nearing the clouds now, heard the faint command and used Thunder, electrocuting the dragon-like Pokémon holding her. Charizard just gritted his teeth and held on, refusing to go. He started spinning round and round at high speeds, gathering even more momentum than before.

Then as soon as Ash shouted,"Do it now. Seismic Toss, Charizard!"

Charizard gave another mighty roar, which would have to have been heard by even Arceus at this point. He dragged Latias with him, hurtling towards the ground. The clouds followed him as he descended, forming a funnel like shape. There was a huge blast at the centre of the stadium which absolutely demolished what was left of it. The trainers themselves were sent flying and landed back by many feet.

There was a huge dust storm near the epicenter of the blast. Even clouds were covering part of it. There was silence all around, as the entire Sinnoh region, waited for the result of the cataclysmic battle. Then suddenly all of the dust and clouds were blown away, and there lay the conclusion. Latias laying a crater, Charizard standing over her. One leg placed on her chest, a sign of superiority, a sign of victory. The referee upon seeing the swirls in Latias' eyes, made the final call,"Latias is unable to battle. And with three Pokémon still remaining, trainer Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town is the winner!"

There was silence for a moment. Then the crowd erupted into cheers. They had came in supporting the trainer of the legendaries, but were leaving with a changed opinion. Ash looked towards Charizard gave him a proud smile, Charizard in return gave Ash a thumbs up. Ash wanted to compliment Tobias on a great battle, even though he had hurt Pikachu and Ash was feeling angry at that part, it was still a good battle which had allowed Charizard to cut lose. When he looked at Tobias, he was already halfway out of the stadium. Looks like he hadn't taken the loss well. Oh well, Ash was always up for a rematch.

He was snapped out of his thoughts as Charizard blew some flames onto his face. They started laughing together, and together took the next step into the future.

—

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hope you all liked the chapter. Remember to Favorite, Follow and Review. Due to decent support I decided to upload the chapter early. Next one will be done in a week or so. PM me for any questions, and put your suggestions in the review section or PM me that as well.**

**OmegaLordtheFirst**

**Peace Out.**

* * *

**EDIT: I added the proper line breaks( I hope so, at least), and corrected a few spelling mistakes I found.**


	3. Chapter 3 - Broken Promises

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKEMON OR ANY OF THE MATERIAL I HAVE USED IN THIS FANFICTION, EXCEPT FOR ANY CHARACTERS OF MY OWN CREATION. IF I DID OWN POKEMON, ASH WOULD HAVE WON A LEAGUE!**

* * *

It had been a tearful farewell. The trio of Brock, Dawn and Ash had spilled tears over each other's departure, though it had to be done as each had their own goal to follow. Ash hadn't challenged the Elite Four once more as he felt like he wasn't ready to settle down, even if he SOMEHOW beat Cynthia. He would keep on traveling and making new friends, meet new Pokémon and battle more trainers.

* * *

Ash and Pikachu were just flying over to Pallet Town on Charizard, and Ash had to admit it felt really awesome. Charizard cut their long journey back by huge margins.

Soon enough, they could see Professor Oak's laboratory on the top of the small hill. Charizard saw the building and landed straight into the ranch. Bulbasaur had already seen them coming and sent out a Solar Beam, signalling their arrival. As soon as Charizard landed, Ash was thrown off his back as several Pokémon landed on him. Bayleef, Glalie, Muk, all his Pokémon were so happy to see him. Ash was happy to see his family too. Yes, to Ash they were always family. He then released the team with which he had won the final. Everybody was cheering excitedly together

Professor Oak must have heard the commotion in his ranch because he came out into the back and observed Ash getting affection from all his Pokémon. He smiled warmly at the sight and said,"Ah! Ash my boy, I see you have returned, that was a fabulous battle. I hope I can expect more?"

Ash grinned,"Thanks Professor, and yeah, we'll all get much stronger together, right guys?"

His Pokémon gave a chorus of cries as some fired of attacks into the sky in agreement. Professor Oak gave a slight cough, turning Ash's attention back to him and continued.

"Well, Ash you should probably go check your on your mother. She was quite eager to meet you." He finished explaining.

Ash rubbed the back of his neck embarrassedly and said,"Yeah, I should probably go and meet her. Alright you guys, stay put and I'll be back later."

He got up and waved towards his Pokémon, all of them gave their own cries, and went off to play around, train or rest.

Ash ran to his house with Pikachu ahead of him, both were laughing while they raced each other to Ash's house. They stopped outside the pathway to the house, and saw Mr. Mime sweeping the gardens. Ash and Pikachu waved at him in greeting and proceeded into the house. As soon as he opened the door, he was engulfed in a bone crushing hug.

"Oh wow, look at you. You have grown taller since I last saw you! And you were so amazing in that battle, I recorded the entire match!" Delia Ketchum, Ash's mother, exclaimed.

Ash slowly removed himself from the hug which probably cracked a few ribs. She started fussing over him and asking things like if he got injured, or if he was eating properly. Ash told her that he could look after herself, though it felt good to know that his Mom cared for him so much.

Ash took of his gloves and sat down for lunch with his mom, while Pikachu sat with a bottle of ketchup. They were all enjoying a quite dinner with some small talk. Suddenly Ash noticed a sad smile cross his mother's face as she asked him,"Ash, where will you leave to this time?"

"Well... I was thinking about going to the Kalos region next, I've heard there are lots of strong Pokémon there! But.. mom why are you sad?"

She just shook her head,"No, I'm not sad, it's just that you have grown up so much since you started your journey. I'm just very proud of you." A few tears started flowing from her eyes but she quickly wiped them and as she pulled out a box from a drawer nearby and continued,"I even made some new clothes for you. Try them on and tell me how you like it."

Ash saw his next clothes and quickly flew up the stairs to get changed. After some time, he came down and his look had changed completely.

He was wearing a blue collared shirt, with white stripes along his arms and down the middle of his torso. He also had a visible black undershirt, and he was wearing black fingerless gloves with a red border. His jeans were dark blue. His red hat sported a white Pokéball design. He was carrying red high top sneakers in one hand and slung a green, one-pocketed bag with a slanting Pokéball design on it.

His mom started gushing over him about how handsome he looked, making Ash embarrassed.

* * *

Ash and Pikachu had been resting for a few days before they set off on their next adventure. Currently they were relaxing on the couch watching some televised matches, when his mom called him.

"Ash, could you help me with these boxes in the storage room?"

"Yeah, sure!" He shouted and got up and walked to the back of the house. His mom handed him a box and told him to take it inside and check if anything in it was worth keeping.

Ash picked up the light box and moved it to the living room, and turned it upside down, scattering its contents. There were old figures of Pokémon, some clothes, but then in the middle of all that junk, there was album. A photo album to be exact. On it there was a tag which read,'Professor Oak's Summer Camp.'

Ash was intrigued by the title, he vaguely remembered going there but not the events that had taken place there. He slowly opened the album, and there was his 6 year old self, playing with Pokémon, racing Gary from the start to every competition to it's end. But then there were a few different photos, it was of him and a girl he couldn't remember. They were just talking or walking around, occasionally playing with a few Pokémon. Ash couldn't help but think,'She's cute'. He immediately blushed a bit at his thoughts and cut off that train of internal monologuing.

Then suddenly he had a flashback of the first time he met her.

* * *

*_Ash was chasing after a Poliwag, which had just run away from the playing field. Him and Gary were having a competition over who could find it first._*

*_Ash saw the silhouette of a Poliwag and started chasing it, but instead he came upon a clearing in the center of which there was a girl all alone, crying._*

*_He walked up to the girl and asked her, careful not to startle her,"Hey, what's wrong?"_*

*_She stopped her crying for one second and looked up, tears still in her eyes, threatening to spill and explained,"I hurt my leg and I can't find my mommy."_*

*_Ash knew he had to help this girl, he couldn't just leave a lost girl all alone in the forest. So he first asked her,"Can you stand?"_*

*_She tried to get up but promptly fell back down, and clutched her knee in pain._*

*_"It hurts.."_*

*_Ash noticed that she had a cut on her knee and he suddenly got an idea to help her. He took out a handkerchief and started to tie it around her leg while chanting,"Pain, pain go away.."_*

*_He finished and waved his arms around like a magic trick, the he extended his hand out to her and enthusiastically said,"Never give up till it's over!" _*

*_She blushed, but still took his hand. He pulled her up a little too quickly and they ended up in a hug. Serena was already blushing up a storm, though she didn't reprimand him on his actions. She liked being with him. Without even letting go of her hand, he led her away from the rocks, out of the clearing..._*

* * *

He started to remember everything else they had done while in their short time together, she would always follow Ash around, no matter where he was going or what he was doing. Ash of the past couldn't notice it, but looking at the photographs now, it was obvious for a more mature Ash to notice she was blushing while looking at Ash in EVERY SINGLE photo. But then he remembered that they both had made a promise to each other, that one day they would travel together and explore an entire region. He couldn't believe he had forgotten about his promise...

Wait.

Promise.

Promises.

He had made so many promises to his Pokémon to meet them again, but he had forgotten all about them. He clutched his fists in anger at himself.

Pikachu had been watching his trainer for a while now. He had been looking at photographs of himself with a girl. Then suddenly Ash started getting angry, so he in concern, walked over to the ravennete, and let out a small squeak(Pika!). Ash looked at him and spoke,"I'm a horrible trainer Pikachu. I forgot about all the promises I made to all our old friends."

Pikachu hung his head, since he knew that his trainer was forgetful but hadn't deliberately forgotten them. He suddenly peeked his head up and jumped off the couch and pointed towards the door.

Ash looked at him and understood,"You want me to go find them now? But what if they don't want to see me?" He asked in a scared voice. Pikachu shook his head and pointed out of the house again. Ash understood what Pikachu was trying to say, and got a determined gleam in his eyes.

"You're right Pikachu. I'm not giving up till it's over. Come on, let's get a flying type and get out there!"

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed and jumped on Ash's shoulder. They ran towards Professor Oak's laboratory, getting ready to meet some old, forgotten friends.

* * *

When Ash arrived at the lab, he was surprised to find Charizard still there. He had thought that he would have returned to the Charicific Valley to train again. When Charizard turned his head towards the phone Ash understood what to do. There was only one person Charizard would know except Ash(or atleast, willingly want to know). He called up Liza at the Charicific Valley. After a few rings, she picked up and seemed to know why Ash was calling as she started speaking first.

"If you're wondering why Charizard hasn't come back, it was because he had trained all that he could here, now he can only get stronger under a good trainer. And besides, he missed travelling with you." She finished.

Ash looked in awe towards his first fully evolved starter Pokémon and asked him,"Is this true Charizard?"

Charizard threw a Flamethrower into the air instead of giving a reply showing his excitement. Ash with a quick 'Thanks' disconnected the call and ran towards Charizard. He told him what they were currently planning to do and if he wanted to go around, with them to see their old friends. Charizard immediately lowered himself so that Ash and Pikachu could climb on. He climbed on and told Bulbasaur to inform the Professor that he would be back in a few hours.

"Alright Charizard, next stop, Viridian Forest!"

* * *

It only took a few minutes to reach the forest, but finding the flock of Pidgey was a different task entirely. Over the thick canopy it was difficult to spot Pokémon in the forest, so Ash and Pikachu were continuing on foot. They encountered a few Pokémon here and there, but none were a Pidgey. After some minutes of wandering around, he chances upon a clearing. There was a Pokemon here. Just not the one expected. It was a Fearow.

Fearow gave a violent cry and charged towards Ash. Pikachu jumped up from it's position from Ash's shoulder and sparked his cheeks aggressively. Fearow showed no signs of stopping in it's approach. But just as Pikachu was about to release a powerful shock on the Beak Pokémon, another Pokémon collided with it sending it back. Standing in front of Ash was a Pidgeot. No.

Not *_a_* Pidgeot.

His Pidgeot.

Fearow gave a shrill cry of anger but still flew away. Pidgeot then turned towards the human behind her and her eyes widened in shock. Here was the trainer who had left her here to protect her flock. It had been years since she last saw him and Pikachu. She gave a beautiful cry and nuzzled Ash causing him to laugh and rub her beak in affection.

"Yeah, we missed you too buddy. I was here to see if you wanted to join back the squad. So what do you say?" Ash asked.

She rubbed her head against him again, and pointed her beak at the Pokéball.

"Are you sure? I mean will the flock be fine with you gone?" He asked hesitantly.

Pidgeot nodded and turned her head towards the rest of the approaching flock. Ash could see a few more Pidgeots except his own. Cleared of doubts, he took out Pidgeot's old Pokéball and tapped it once against Pidgeot. It got sucked in once and immediately released a few sparks, signalling capture. He released Pidgeot again and asked if she could take them to Celadon City. She gave a nod after which they climbed onto Pidgeot.

* * *

It took about an hour of relaxing flight to get to Celadon City. Here was the home of the P-1 Grand Prix Fighting Tournament. And it's champion(hopefully, still reigning supreme); Ash's Primeape. They landed near the stadium as Ash thanked Pidgeot for her hard work, and told her to rest up.

Ash proceeded into the stadium and saw that it was dimly lit. In the center, there was a boxing ring. In it, a single Pokémon, punching and kicking mannequins into splinters. Primeape.

Ash could see Anthony to his side, giving out occasional bits of advice and running around the outside of the ring, placing mannequins back into the ring a soon as they were destroyed. Ash waited until they were finished and Anthony called a break. Ash then walked up to Anthony and called out to him.

"Hey Anthony! Long time no see!" Anthony looked towards the origin of the voice and grinned.

"Well, if it isn't Ash Ketchum. How've ya been kid?"

Primeape turned his head at the mention of Ash, and though he remained quiet, he listened to what his trainer was saying.

"Well, I thought that Primeape must have been feeling lonely, so I came here to check up on him.. and I was wondering I he would join my team again. Though I won't keep him from the championship, so I'll send him back"

"Well I'm not keeping him forcefully. It's his decision to make, whether he wants to stay here forever, or go with you and come back to train."

They both turned towards Primeape who had a fierce look of determination in his eyes. He nodded and held out a closed fist towards Ash. Ash smiled and brought out a Pokéball and tapped Primeape's fist once, he got sucked in and after a few dings, the ball showered in stars, indicating capture.

With a handshake with Anthony, Ash departed from the stadium. He then turned to Pikachu and asked,"Who else is left.. should we try and visit Lapras?"

Pikachu cheered at the mention of the old Pokémon which had helped Ash in the Orange Archipelago. She had just been a baby when Ash had captured and started to train her. In the end, he had to leave her with her family to be happy. Now, he had to go ask her what she wanted to do ahead in life. Whether to spend her life in the wilderness, or come with Ash and battle at his side.

With a quick throw, Charizard was unleashed, and he looked at Ash in with a quizzical face. Ash, seeing the look he was being given, replied,"We are going to see Lapras next buddy!"

Charizard spread his wings excitedly at the mention of the old Pokémon that had suffered at the hands of the human, the same way Charizard had. He could always relate to her in that sort of way. Where they both only trusted one human to take care of them, and that was Ash.

Ash got on and settled in for the who knew how long flight to the Orange Islands. Charizard seemed to remember the directions as he took off without a moments notice.

* * *

When Ash opened his eyes, he was blinded by the sun directly overhead him. He had been awakened due to a light Thundershock from Pikachu. He got up and noticed they was only a vast expanse of sea all around them.

"Have we reached there?" He questioned.

A nod from Charizard was enough to tell him that he should start looking for Lapras. He released Pidgeot so she could help them in their task as well. She flew off to look for a herd of Lapras. They were searching for a few minutes before Pidgeot came back and indicated them to follow her. They followed her to behind a formation of rocks and they saw it.

A herd of Lapras, some sleeping some just swimming around while some were talking amongst themselves. Ash landed on one of the rocks, and recalled Charizard and Pidgeot, just in case they got intimidated by them. Slowly, he raised both his hands up and shouted,"Hey!"

Immediately all the Lapras stopped doing what they were doing and looked at him. Some were immediately charging their attacks, ready to freeze the intruder who had wandered into one of their hotspots. Ash panicked and started shouting,"Woah! Wait, wait, wait! I'm not here to cause trouble!"

But all of his protests were gone unheard, as they continued to charge up attacks, until suddenly a Pokémon stepped in between him and them. They stopped their attacks, but were still looking apprehensively at him.

The Lapras who had stopped them turned to face Ash and she gave a joyful cry. She swum forward and almost tackled Ash. She sprayed a little bit of water in a playful manner on both Ash and Pikachu. Pikachu ran up to her neck and waved back to Ash. Ash then said what he had been waiting for all this time,"Well, what Pikachu and I are here for was that we wanted to see what you wanted to do Lapras."

Lapras tilted her head in confusion, so Ash explained further,"We.. I was wondering if you wanted to come with us-"

He couldn't continue further as Lapras sprayed him with water again in happiness. Though she did look back at her mother, as if asking for permission. The parent looked back and forth between the trainer and Pokémon, then nodded, Ash hugged back Lapras in joy. Pokémon and trainer reunited.

* * *

Ash was enjoying going through the sea on Lapras with Pikachu. It reminded him of the good old days when him, Tracey and Misty would go from island to island, on a nonstop journey. He then looked at Pikachu and asked,"I hope I didn't forget anyone, right Pikachu?"

Pikachu thought hard, if there was any Pokemon who wanted to go with Ash, and would be sad without him, and after a moment's pause, squeaked in affirmation.

Ash looked confused, so Pikachu started to tell him what he had missed.

"Pi-pikapi-pika-chupi!"

Ash understood his oldest friend and questioned,"Mount Silver? Oh! You must be talking about the Larvitar I met there, am I right?"

Pikachu nodded, so Ash sent out Charizard. He got on his back and thanked Lapras while recalling her.

"To Mount Silver, Charizard!"

With a tremendous roar, he pushed off into the sky. Making huge waves in his wake.

* * *

It was getting evening by the time they reached Mount Silver. They landed near the reserve, though this time he kept Charizard out. He didn't want a Tyranitar to Hyper Beam his face off, so Charizard would be a good intimidation tactic.

They walked over the bridge, though Charizard had to fly over it, that led to the Pokémon Reserve. It took some time, but they finally got a hint as to where a Tyranitar was. They saw a huge Hyper Beam go off into the air, which was followed by a Flamethrower. Their eyes widened in shock. This looked like a fight!

They got on Charizard and headed in the direction of the attacks. Near a lake they saw a Tyranitar, a Pupitar and some Pokémon rangers fighting, whom he guessed to be Pokémon poachers. The poachers clearly had the superiority in numbers. There were about 5 of the poachers against 3 rangers. From the side Ash got off Charizard and commanded,"Flamethrower on all of them Charizard!"

Charizard unleashed a huge Flamethrower going through all of the poachers Pokémon at once. When it stopped, they were all lying down on the ground, out for the count. There was silence for a second until one of them angrily exclaimed,"Who do you think you are kid? You shouldn't interfere in adult's business. Now you'll pay the price."

He tossed a Pokémon revealing a Salamence, while the others sent out their Pokémon as well. The fight was restarted as the rangers were slowly pushing back the poachers. Salamence and Charizard were flying against one another in the sky, without trainers in a full on brawl. Ash didn't have time to command Charizard as he saw a Machamp sneaking up on Pupitar, while his mother was distracted battling an Onix.

He didn't have much time so he just said,"Pikachu, use Volt Tackle on Machamp!"

Pikachu started running while charging electricity around his body. Dodging and weaving through all the moves and Pokémon that came flying towards him. He crashed into Machamp sending it soaring back into a tree with a crunch. Pikachu rejoiced with his trainer but it was too soon.

Ash suddenly felt pain flare up in his leg. He looked down and he saw a Houndour biting down upon his leg. He cried out in pain and knocked down a Pokéball from his belt releasing Primeape from his stay. Primeape was confused at what was going on, but when he saw his trainer his eyes widened. In anger he grabbed the Houndour's neck, loosening his hold on Ash, and used Brutal Swing to smash him into the ground. Ash dropped to the ground in pain as Primeape stood guard around him.

Within seconds, the last of the poachers' Pokémon had been defeated and recalled. Their leader, Ash guessed, stood up and spoke, in a threatening voice,"Don't think that just because you defeated these Pokémon you stand a chance against Salamen-"

He got cut off as something slammed into the ground, sending dust into everyone's eyes. They rubbed their eyes and looked back at the epicenter of the blast. There laying beaten on the ground, was a Salamence, while Charizard was roaring in a proclamation of victory in the sky. There was a moment's pause, then the poachers surrendered.

* * *

Ash was being bandaged up in the Pokémon Ranger's medical bay. He had been told not to put pressure on the leg for about a month. That meant no heavy walking. Then they had thanked him for his crucial help in nabbing the poachers.

He was just happy that he had been able help out Pokémon, not caring that he had been hurt in the process. Tyranitar and Pupitar were by the bed talking with Pikachu. Ash was just resting for a while until he decided that he needed to get back to Pallet Town. Pikachu seemed to have already told Tyranitar of the purpose of their visit, because as soon as Ash got up, Pupitar walked in front of him and nodded towards his belt. Ash looked confused for a moment until he remembered what he came here to do. He first looked towards Tyranitar for permission. Excitement swelled in his heart as she shook her head in agreement.

He took out a Pokéball and tapped Pupitar gently with it. He got engulfed in a beam of red light, and got sucked into the red-white contraption. It dinged thrice, then sparkled on the third, revealing that Pupitar had been captured.

Ash made a pose, while Pikachu jumped in the air, and shouted,

"Alright, I caught a Pupitar!"

"Pi-pikachu!"

Tyranitar just smiled at the enthusiastic young trainer, and bid him farewell on his journey. Ash was slowly led out, though his leg was throbbing with pain, throughout the endeavor. He let out Pidgeot and requested her to take them home. The Bird Pokémon took one look at her trainer's leg and gently let him climb onto her back. Once settled in she took off into the horizon.

* * *

Once they landed in the ranch he thanked Pidgeot for her help, while letting out the rest of his recaptured Pokémon. Before he could reacquaint anyone with anyone he heard the one person's voice which would make any boy hide under his bed.

His mom.

"Ash Ketchum! Do you know how long you have been gone? I have been worried sick about- What happened to your leg?!" She was shooting angrily as she had come out onto the ranch, but suddenly saw the bandages and her voice changed from angry to worried. All of his Pokémon noticed the injury and crowded around their trainer, some protectively, some with concerned looks.

So he took to explaining them what had happened at the Pokémon Reserve. When he saw the sad looks on his Pokémon, he gave them a cheerful smile and said,"Don't worry about me guys, I'm fine just a few weeks and I'll be fine. Honest."

That seemed to work as most of them cheered with him. His mom still had an apprehensive look on her face, but she didn't get a chance to pursue the topic further as Professor Oak had come out in all the commotion.

"Ah! Your back my boy, well I have great news for new and bad news for you. So which would you like to hear first?"

Ash thought for a moment and then replied,"The great news first please Professor."

"Very well, I have just got your tickets booked to Kalos, they are for tomorrow in the early morning!"

Ash started rejoicing in happiness that his next journey would start tomorrow, though his mom had other ideas.

"No, he can most certainly not travel with an injury like that! And I will not let him go in that condition!"

Ash though hard for a moment, he had to come up with something quick if he had to start his journey tomorrow. Suddenly an idea popped in his brain.

"Well, what if I ride on Tauros, that'll work won't it?"

His mom looked sort of angry that he had managed to find a way to limit his walking, though she remained silent and allowed Professor Oak to continue.

"But the bad news is that I don't think you should take Pikachu there."

Ash's eyes widened, along with Pikachu's.

"What! Why? What's wrong with Pikachu?" He asked in a sort of shaky voice.

"Oh, let me rephrase that for you my boy, I don't think you should take only Pikachu with you." Oak said, rubbing his head embarrassedly.

His mom asked the question he had been wanting to ask before him,"But why Professor?"

Professor Oak seemed to hesitate a bit in answering but he relented and replied,"Well.. it's because the crime rates in Kalos are higher than the other regions, and beginner trainers often don't get too far before falling victims to these crimes."

Delia started shouting as soon as she heard this, and Ash tried to calm her down to no avail. Suddenly, Professor Oak suggested the idea which helped him out,"What if Ash took his stronger Pokémon with him, that should keep him safe from the lowlife."

Ash's Pokémon seemed to really like this idea. They were only thinking that they would get to travel with their favorite trainer again.

Delia seemed to ponder over this thought for a moment but eventually sighed and nodded her head sadly. Ash saw this and assured her,"Don't worry mom, I'll be fine. If Team Rocket couldn't get me in years, I doubt I'll lose anytime soon."

She chuckled and started to walk away while saying,"Well, alright. Just don't take too long in getting back, dinner's getting cold."

Ash nodded and then realized something about their talk he hadn't though about. He turned towards the Professor and voices his concern.

"Wait, Professor if I take my old Pokémon, how'll I train the new Pokémon that I catch?"

The Professor chuckled and replied mysteriouly,"Well, I'll put in a request to expand your carrier limit by.. 6-7 Pokémon? 7 till you have Tauros, and after that injury heals, I'll drop it down to 6. That should be enough. I'm sure that the Pokémon League will have no qualms in increasing the number of Pokémon that you carry. The limit is mostly there to make sure that trainers don't overdo the number of Pokémon that they are carrying, and not having enough responsibility to look after them."

Ash just shrugged, he didn't think much about why he would get his limit increased, he just got psyched that he would travel with his friends again.

He turned towards all his assembled family and asked,"So, which one of you guys wants to come with me?"

All his Pokémon started jumping and shouting simultaneously. Ash suddenly felt bad that he had neglected them throughout his journey, and left them all at the lab. He calmed them down and said,"Woah guys, I'm sorry for neglecting you all.. so let's see, I'll keep Charizard, Sceptile and Infernape permanently on the team since they're all powerhouses, the rest 3 I'll keep rotating so everyone gets to battle. How does that sound?"

All of the Pokémon gave a resounding cheer. Ash also pumped a fist upwards and shouted,"Alright!"

* * *

The next morning he had come back to the lab on Tauros. He was actually getting used to riding on Tauros. Tauros understood that his trainer was injured and deliberately ran at a slow enough pace not to hurt him even more.

He got off him slowly and landed on the ground, then dusted the dirt off his jeans and looked the towards the collection of assembled Pokémon.

He recalled Charizard, Sceptile and Infernape and stored their Pokéballs on his belt. Then he started thinking about which Pokémon to get next. Ash got Lapras and Pidgeot since they were the most recent additions to his arsenal, so he wanted to ascertain their current positions. Then he looked towards the left to see which three were the ones he wanted to take with him.

Snivy noticed that her trainer was in a dilemma in deciding which Pokémon's to take with him. She thought that he was only taking Pokémon that could protect him. Did he think that she could not protect him? That she was not strong enough? Suddenly in a panic and determination to grow stronger, she started channeling the evolution energy from years before that she had previously denied, just to remain small, thinking that size did not matter.

All of the Pokémon stopped chattering among themselves to observe the phenomena in front of them. The glowing dimmed for a second, when Snivy's body had elongated a fair bit, but then suddenly the shining aura came back full force as she kept on evolving. When the glow around Snivy faded, there wasn't Servine in her place, there was Serperior.

Ash cheerfully exclaimed that Snivy, Serperior now, was so cool to evolve straight into its final stage. Ash noticed the sad look turn into a happy cry as he told her that he would take her with him. He asked her gently,"What's wrong girl?"

"Ser-perior perior-ser" she crooned softly. Ash seemed to understand though,

"You thought that I would only take you if you evolved? But that's not true! I don't want to force any of you to evolve, even if you don't evolve you're all good in my eyes."

Serperior cried happily and went back into her Pokéball ready for their adventure. Ash then looked towards the rest took one last glance at them. He bid goodbye to all his Pokémon and then set off for his journey.

Kalos watch out.

Ash Ketchum was coming.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: THANKS FOR ALL OF THE FOLLOWS AND FAVORITES PEOPLE, I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. LET ME KNOW IF THERE ARE ANY MISTAKES IN THE CHAPTER AND I'LL FIX IT RIGHT UP.**

**I KNOW THAT THE CHAPTER HAD A FORMAT PROBLEM THE PREVIOUS TIME I UPLOADED THIS CHAPTER, AND I HAVE DONE MY BEST TO CORRECT IT. SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCES CAUSED.**

**I WILL BE SETTING UP POLLS SOON AFTER A FEW CHAPTERS, SO WATCH OUT FOR THAT. THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE UP IN A WEEK. THANKS FOR BEING SO PATIENT. I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL TIME YOU ALL SPEND TO READ MY CREATION.(BY THE WAY, THE BOLD STYLE WASN'T WORKING FOR SOME REASON, SO I PUT THE AUTHOR AND DISCLAIMER NOTE IN CAPITAL, SORRY)**

**THIS IS OmegaLordtheFirst.**

**PEACE OUT.**

* * *

**EDIT: I added the line breaks which weren't working earlier, along with fixing some spelling errors and paragraph spacing. This isn't a new chapter but another one will be up in next 2-3 days. **


	4. Chapter 4- Kalos Reunion

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKEMON OR ANY OF THE MATERIAL I HAVE USED IN THIS FANFICTION, EXCEPT FOR ANY CHARACTERS OF MY OWN CREATION. IF I DID OWN POKEMON, ASH WOULD HAVE WON A LEAGUE!**

* * *

Chapter 4

Kalos Reunion

Ash's plane had just landed in Kalos, and he got off the plane in wonder. The environment was so much different than all the other regions. Though he could see the underlying darkness everywhere, parents were sticking close to their children,while not many Pokémon were roaming about as he had expected to be with this many people.

Releasing Tauros, he got on and headed towards Professor Sycamore's lab. Professor Oak had entrusted him with an envelope that he had been told to deliver to the regional Professor of the the Kalos region.

Luckily there was a huge board on the road, showing the map of the city. Ash was still hopeless with directions, but Tauros wasn't. He stared at the map and started navigating the streets till they reached the Professor's lab.

When Ash knocked on the door it was opened by a girl. She asked the expected question,"Who are you? Why are you here?"

"My name is Ash. I'm from Pallet Town. I have to deliver something to Professor Sycamore from Professor Oak."

She nodded in understanding and said,"Well,come on in, I'll call Professor Sycamore." Ash stepped inside, and waited in what looked like a lobby of sorts.

He sat on a chair, while Pikachu wandered around. While they were waiting, a blue frog-like Pokémon came into the room. Ash and the Pokémon stared at each other, both feeling a sort of connection with each other. He didn't get to inspect the new Pokémon any further because as soon as the sound of footsteps approached them, the Pokémon bounded away.

"Ah! You must be Ash Ketchum, the trainer Samuel talked so much about."

Ash gingerly held out a hand, embarrassed about Professor Oak talking about him,"Yeah, that's me"

"Marvellous! Come in, come in! I've been wanting to meet you in person, after Professor Oak spoke so highly of you."

"Uhm... Professor which Pokémon was the one the one that just ran out after you came in, I was curious about him"

Sycamore raised an eyebrow and replied,"That must have been Froakie you met, he's actually had quite a history with many traine-"

As soon as he said that, an explosion shook the building. Ash swayed on his feet unsteadily, though managed to remain upright.

"Woah! What was that?!" Exclaimed Ash, steadying himself with a nearby table

"That came from the ranch at the back of the lab! Oh no! The Pokémon!" Sycamore exclaimed, and ran off to check the source of the disturbance.

Ash was also determined to help out the Professor in any way he could, he couldn't just let Pokémon get hurt by someone for their own gains. He had to move a little slowly because of his injured leg. Pikachu, though could have ran ahead, chose to stay with Ash and protect him incase something happened.

Though he didn't know the direction of the ranch where Professor Sycamore kept his Pokémon, he could hear the shouting followed by a series of explosions.

He arrived at a glass door, which opened to let him in, and dashed inside in worry. Pikachu was in front of him, keeping his ears up to detect signs of danger.

There was a garden in the lab, Pokémon and trees were everywhere. Though, the former seemed to be hiding from something. Ash then saw the cause of the disturbance. He counted six men, all older than him and wearing orange suits and sunglasses battling a Garchomp. Professor Sycamore seemed to be a proficient battler as he seemed to be holding them off all alone. Garchomp used Dragon Pulse and sent a Zangoose crashing into the ground, knocking it out.

"Good work Garchomp, now let's take it up a notch.." Sycamore said revealing a shiny looking stone on a bracelet.

"I don't think so!" One of the perpetrators countered and threw a collar towards Garchomp, which locked around her neck. Garchomp's eyes glowed red, as she roared in pain.

"GARCHOMP! No! What have you done?!" Sycamore shouted in shock and panic. The grunts started chuckling and laughing at Sycamore's futile attempts to free Garchomp from their control.

"Hey! Six on one isn't very fair is it?" Ash yelled, while walking towards the commotion. He glared at the criminals for daring to hurt a Pokémon for their own needs. Pikachu was already ahead of him, sparking his cheeks angrily.

"Well, little kid wants to play a hero, eh?" One of them asked, still chuckling.

"We'll show you!" Another one said, and released his Pokémon again.

Ash, out of the corner of his eye, could see a few similarly dressed people fighting off, or at the very least delaying the police officers. He was in close quarters right now, not much room for flight, and trees and shrubs all around. So, Serperior would be good, with Pikachu obviously helping out. He wanted to use *_those_* three only if things got really bad. Pidgeot was out of the question, she didn't have enough space to maneuver at all. He could see a pond nearby so Lapras was also viable..

Quickly taking out two Pokéballs he flung them out to reveal the Grass and Water-Ice type Pokémon. Serperior and Lapras saw that they were battling multiple enemies and immediately guarded themselves.

There were multiple Pokémon on Ash's opponents side- Loudred, Machoke, Mightyena, Houndour, Scyther and an Ursaring. He couldn't be sure if Garchomp was under their control or not, so he shouldn't take chances.

The thugs, wanting to finish this job and make a quick getaway, all shouted out commands to their Pokémon.

"Give Lapras a good Hyper Voice, Loudred!"

"Machoke beat down that mouse with Karate Chop!"

"Mightyena, use Bite on Pikachu!"

"Houndour, use Fire Fang on Serperior!"

"Scyther, use Fury Cutter on Serperior!"

"Ursaring, use Hammer Arm on Lapras!"

Ash smirked a little. These guys had no coordination whatsoever, if they did, they might have stood a chance. So, he calculated his moves quickly and then raised his fist and punched the air in front of him while exclaiming,"Pikachu, use Quick Attack to dodge, then Iron Tail on Loudred, Serperior, use Slam on Houndour and aim it towards Scyther, Lapras stop Hammer Arm with Hydro Pump, then Ice Beam on Houndour and Scyther!"

Pikachu was the first to move his agile limbs. He disappeared like a blur, and avoided the Bite and Karate Chop while hitting Loudred on the head with a silver tail, disrupting his attack. Mightyena and Machoke were left confused as they couldn't track where their target went.

Houndour jumped towards Serperior, its fangs glowing red, while Serperior jumped into the air to meet it head on. Houndour was about to sink it's fangs into Serperior's body when her tail twisted around and wrapped around its torso and chucked him back. Houndour crashed back into Scyther, sending both of them flailing towards the ground.

Meanwhile, Lapras threw a Hydro Pump at Ursaring, flinging him back, and as soon as Houndour and Scyther were positioned together, an Ice Beam froze them solid. Houndour being a Fire type could probably have escaped from his icy prison, but any of his fire attacks would end up harming Scyther at such close range.

The criminals were gawking at their damaged Pokémon struggling to get up, they could hear the police sirens in the background growing louder, and knew that they had to get out of here quick.

Ash had to finish it up, there was no knowing what else these crooks had, and Garchomp was still in pain from the collar.

"Finish it up with Thunderbolt, Pikachu!"

With a loud cry, all the Pokémon in the surrounding area, save Serperior and Lapras, were electrocuted, sending them down for good. All the collapsed Pokémon were quickly recalled into their Pokéballs, as the gangsters quickly broke out into a sprint, Garchomp reluctantly following behind. Ash limped over to the gaping hole in the wall and peered outwards, to see all of them sprinting down the street. Garchomp was also following closely behind them until it suddenly stopped.

The controller in the hands of one the felons exploded into dust. Garchomp wailed in agony, and started firing off attacks in random directions. Ash ducked just in time to avoid a Hyper Beam. Garchomp was getting out of control due to the effects of the collar, he was hitting everything in sight. A Dark Pulse hit the two Growlithes belonging to the police, knocking them out. Ash had to help out somehow, first the felons had to be restrained or else they could cause a lot more damage, then Ash would get to Garchomp.

"Serperior stop them from moving, Vine Whip!" He called out. Serperior immediately responded by lashing out with two vines, wrapping around the criminals all at once, immobilizing them. Ash returned Lapras with a quick 'thank you' and thought about how to stop Garchomp from it's involuntary rampage.

Suddenly Garchomp took off into the air, and rained down attacks from above. People started screaming and running for cover, while Sycamore was trying in vain to turn back Garchomp. He was flying off towards a tall tower in the distance. Ash knew that the havoc would continue if Garchomp wasn't stopped, and he had to help a Pokémon in pain. Ash told Serperior to guard the felons behind this mess, and sent out Pidgeot to help them reach Garchomp.

As Ash was getting on Pidgeot, the Froakie, the Pokémon he had seen earlier, hopped on Ash's other shoulder. Ash was perplexed, but guessed his intention.

"You want to help us save Garchomp?"

"Fro-kie"

Pidgeot took off in a flash, flying at high speeds towards Garchomp, occasionally dodging any attacks sent their way.

Garchomp had settled on top of Lumiose Tower, and was shouting while firing off attacks.

"Pidgeot, land us near the ledge, and get away quickly, you'll need to distract Garchomp while we break the collar."

A loud cry was given off by Pidgeot as she complied with her trainer's command. As they neared Garchomp, they saw the pained look in her eyes while she was firing off attacks. Luckily, Pidgeot landed them at the top and took off quickly and silently. As soon as Garchomp noticed them on the perch next to her, she started charging up Dragon Pulse.

Ash dodged to the side, along with Pikachu and Froakie, but pain flared up in his leg from the sudden movement. Suddenly, and quite luckily for Ash, Garchomp's attention was drawn towards a news helicopter circling the tower, trying to get a clear view of the situation. Their helicopter barely avoided the attack thrown their way, as Pidgeot used Gust to blow them away from the attack, then she started moving around with quickness around Garchomp, causing her to spin around wildly. She was about to lose balance and tumble off the edge, but Froakie quickly detached some frubbles from his neck and threw them at Garchomp's feet, sticking them in place.

"Nice thinking Froakie!" Ash complimented, as he turned to look at Garchomp, firing off attacks trying to hit Pidgeot. Pidgeot was smart enough to stay in positions so that the surrounding areas wouldn't be harmed, and weaved in and out of attacks. Garchomp was distracted and wasn't moving so Ash called out,"Use Iron Tail on the collar, Pikachu!"

Pikachu ran forward, as his tail was glowing silver, and jumped into the air. He spun around mid-air, hitting the collar with Iron Tail, cracking it into two. Garchomp gave one last roar, and collapsed onto the floor. Ash came up and gently lifted Garchomp back up, as he asked,"Hey, are you alright?"

Garchomp gave a soft and low cry, saying that she was fine. Ash breathed a sigh of relief as the tedious task was finally over. But the sigh was too soon, as the ground had been weakened by Garchomp and was pretty unstable. As soon as Pikachu moved near Ash, the concrete beneath him shattered and sent Pikachu flying over the side.

Ash saw in horror as his starter Pokémon was falling towards the ground. He didn't even hesitate one bit.

He jumped after him.

Now the entire crowd collected below gasped as they saw Ash falling from the top of the tower. Pidgeot's eyes widened in shock as she saw her trainer and his Pokémon in grave danger, she folded her wings and dropped into a steep dive, slowly gaining on the falling duo.

Ash had wrapped his arms around Pikachu, determined to protect him from damage. He closed his eyes and waited for the end. But it never came, he felt something slow his fall. He opened his eyes and saw Pidgeot beneath him, soaring through the air after catching him and Pikachu. Both Ash and Pikachu voiced their thanks to the Kanto bird Pokémon to which she chirped happily in reply. She set them down on the street, where Ash slowly got off. He was surrounded by the crowd in an instant, leaving no room to escape.

* * *

In the Shalour city Pokémon Center

Four friends were currently resting up from their journey, and waiting for their Pokémon to be healed, in the lobby of the Pokémon Center.

The first was a tall boy, with brown eyes and black hair. He had a sling bag, hanging from his side. He was wearing a black T-shirt, and knee-length, orange jeans, along with black and white sneakers. This is Tierno, a Pokémon trainer with the dream of making the perfect dance unit with his Pokémon.

The second was a small and thin boy with orange rounded hair and grey eyes. He was wearing a white collared shirt under a blue one, with a Poké Ball logo on his left side of the chest and had grey pants with green shoes. He also wore the Holo Caster around his neck and a green backpack shaped like a smiley face. His name is Trevor, who wants to click pictures and record various types of Pokemon on video.

The third was a short girl with a tan skin tone, dark green eyes, and long brown hair which were kept in pigtails. She was wearing a dark pink T-shirt decorated by three large black bows and a pair of denim shorts with a black frilly bobble on the bottom, also complimenting her black frilly wristband. Shauna held a white purse with a matching design on her shirt with a pink hood and a large black bow. On her feet, she was wearing dark pink ballet type shoes with short heels. This was Shauna, a Pokémon Performer with the dream of becoming Kalos Queen, along with her rival.

And the last was also a girl who wore a dark gray tank top with a white collar, dark gray stockings. She had long honey blond hair that reached just above her waist, medium skin tone, along with red double waist side buttons pleated skirt, black hi-tops with a pink semi-Poké Ball printing on the sides. This was Serena, a Pokémon Trainer and Performer, with the same dream as Shauna to become the Kalos Queen.

Right now all four of them were watching the news with unwavering eyes. The headlines were 'Rampage in Lumiose!'

It had a reporter showing an attack on Professor Sycamore's lab. The four friends were extremely worried since they all knew the Professor, and had gotten their starter Pokémon from him. They all hoped that nothing bad happened to him.

They gave a cheer as a Zangoose was sent flying by Garchomp, but it quickly turned to gasps as they saw the Team Flare grunts attach a metal collar on Garchomp, immobilizing her. They had mournful looks as they saw their regional Professor lose the battle, but it turned into a hopeful one when they saw another trainer intervene.

He was a good trainer, that much even Shauna and Serena could tell who didn't battle. His Pokémon showed no hesitation in carrying out his commands, and moved in perfect sync with each other. Soon, the grunts' Pokémon were all lying on the floor, defeated. They let out a breath of relief that they didn't realize they were holding.

They saw the criminals trying to escape, as their control over Garchomp broke. Luckily, the trainer's Pokémon, which they didn't recognize, wrapped them up with vines to prevent their escape. They still couldn't clearly see the trainer's face as the camera was moving around too much to focus on one point. Their eyes widened in shock as they saw Garchomp flying around, wreaking havoc over the area, before flying off towards Lumiose Tower. But what was even more surprising was that the followed behind by air on a Pidgeot.

The camera point switched to one in a helicopter. It steadied a bit and focused on the boy and his Pikachu. Suddenly Serena's eyes widened in shock as she saw his face. Amber brown eyes, raven black hair, Z-shaped marks on his cheeks.

'It couldn't be? Could it? Could it be.. Ash?' Serena thought in part joy and part panic. Joy, for seeing him after so long, and panic, for seeing him in such a perilous situation.

Just when Garchomp's collar was broken and the terrorising event came to an end, the platform under Pikachu broke. Sending him hurtling towards the ground. Serena gasped as she saw the Pokémon fall towards the ground. But when she saw Ash jump after him, she shot up from her seat and screamed,"NO!"

The rest of her companions got startled by her screaming and looked around in shock, before they saw that the cause of the noise was Serena. Serena calmed down a bit after she saw her childhood friend was saved by his Pidgeot. Letting out a sigh of relief she turned back towards the group only to be faced with questioned faces. Shauna was the who broke the ice.

"Serena do you know him.. because, no offense, but we didn't have as much of a reaction as you did?"

Serena immediately started blushing at her act and hurriedly replied,"No! Yes! I mean, I might.. I don't know!"

Trevor and Tierno didn't question further, not trying to make her uncomfortable, but Shauna gave her a knowing wink, before turning back.

Serena looked out of the window and stared towards the sky. 'I hope we meet each other. I hope you haven't forgotten me.. so I'll work twice as hard to not disappoint you.'

* * *

"Who are you?"

"Why did you help Garchomp?"

"What other Pokemon do you have?"

Ash got a little uncomfortable with all the attention, though he tried to answer their questions truthfully and honestly. Luckily, some officers saved him from the tiring task of answering them, and dragged him away. They stopped him near a van and shook asked,"Is this your Serperior?"

Ash leaned around the side, and saw that his Serperior had still wrapped her vines around the crooks, refusing to let them go. Upon seeing Ash approach, she cried out in recognition and slithered over to Ash. Ash rubbed her head and thanked her, as he recalled her.

The officer from before came up to him again, and held out his hand,"You have our thanks. I'll make sure these criminals see the bars of a cell by nighttime."

Ash nodded and stepped away, only to have Professor Sycamore run up to him and shake his hand.

"I cannot do enough to thank you Ash. Garchomp would have been in grave danger if her rampage continued." Thanked Sycamore.

"Ah! That was nothing. Honest. Don't worry about it." Replied Ash truthfully.

"Well, allow me to extend an offer of hospitality. Why don't you spend the night at the lab, and leave tomorrow?" Inquired Sycamore.

Ash thought about it for a moment. It was getting late, and he had no idea where the Pokémon Center was, so the Professor's lab would be able to heal his Pokémon as a substitute.

With a quick nod, they started to head back towards the lab.

This was a real start to a journey.

* * *

The next day Ash woke up early to get an early start to his journey. He had left all his Pokémon save Pikachu at the ranch, so they could sleep outside their Pokéballs, so now he was on his way to retrieve them. He let the glass doors slide open to let him inside, as he walked in he was greeted by all his Pokémon in their usual styles. Flamethrower to the face from Charizard, excited jumps from Infernape, a twig out of his mouth from Sceptile and so on. Ash just chuckled at their antics, and got ready to recall them. Professor Sycamore walked in at just that moment exclaiming,"My, my! You seem to have some very powerful Pokémon their Ash!"

"Yep! They're all very strong Pokémon." Replied Ash proudly. All his Pokémon gave resounding cheers with his voice.

Professor Sycamore looked at Ash for a moment then made up his mind. He walked out of the room and came back a second later, holding a box in his hand.

"I would like you to have this Ash, as a token of my gratitude." Sycamore said, while handing over the box.

Ash took the box and slowly opened it revealing a glowing stone in the center of it. He looked up with a quizzical face and asked,"But what is it Professor?"

Sycamore walked around while explaining,"Tell me Ash, have you heard of Mega Evolution?"

Ash's eyes gained a sparkle at the mention of evolution, he excitedly replied,"Not at all, what is it?

"It's a stage that a Pokémon achieves after evolving into it's final form. It takes two things two make Mega Evolution occur; one is a strong bond between trainer and Pokémon, while the second is a key stone and mega stone. What you have there is a key stone." He finished explaining.

All of Ash's Pokémon had an excited look in their eyes at the prospect of a new stage of evolution.

"Woah! That is so awesome! Thanks again, Professor." Thanked Ash.

"Think nothing of it, now let's start you off on your journey shall we?" He said while handing him a Kalos Pokédex.

Ash pocketed both the stone and the Pokédex, and headed outside to leave. As he was about to get on top of Tauros, something small hit his leg. Ash looked down and saw a Pokéball, a little further from the Pokéball was Froakie. It was obvious who had delivered the Pokéball to Ash.

"You want to come with me?" Questioned Ash.

"Fro-kie." Was the response he got. He bent down and lifted the Pokéball, Froakie jumped up and hit the button on the Pokéball. He was engulfed in a bright red glow, and it sparkled to indicate capture. It didn't even shake once.

"Alright, I caught a Froakie!" Ash shouted loudly. Pikachu was also not far behind in showing his excitement, as he jumped up and down.

"Alright then, off to the Lumiose City Gym!" Exclaimed Ash.

His excitement was quickly diminished as Professor Sycamore interrupted him,"You might have to hold off on the gym battle Ash, the Lumiose City Gym is an extremely tough gym and the gym leader advises trainers to get at least four badges before trying. I would suggest the Santalune City Gym, it's a good gym to start off. Just follow this path and you'll be there by noon."

Ash sighed in disappointment, as the Professor made a fair point. He only had Froakie as a new Pokémon, so he should move his way up the ladder so his new Pokémon get the most experience.

"Thanks a lot, Professor!" And with that Tauros started moving onward towards their first gym in Kalos.

* * *

While Ash was getting ready to get to Santalune City, two people and one Pokémon, all disguised as humans, were sitting in a café. Little did any onlookers know that they were part of the infamous Team Rocket.

The first was a tall male. He had lavender hair, and green eyes. He was wearing a red formal looking coat and long trousers to hide his Team Rocket costume hidden under the disguise. This was James, an Agent if Team Rocket.

The second was his partner, a female. She had waist length magenta hair and blue eyes. She was also, like James, wearing a disguise to hide her identity as an Agent of Team Rocket, known as Jessie.

The third was a short male Pokémon. He was the third of the trio in Kalos, a Meowth. A taking Meowth to be exact. He was wearing a long trench coat to hide his height and wearing sunglasses, to protect his face.

They were all here in Kalos to catch that twerp's Pikachu, and report any suspicious activities to the boss.

Right now, they were all going to call their boss and inform him of their arrival in Kalos.

The screen on the table lit up to display a dim room, their boss' face barely visible.

"We have arrived in the Kalos region sir, and hope to let Team Rocket establish a good foothold in taking over the underworld here." James spoke first, addressing him in respect.

He grunted just to acknowledge their presence, indicating them to continue.

"We have heard about Team Flare being up to no good here, we'll keep you updated on the activities here, boss." Meowth continued.

"Hm.. be sure to keep an eye out for any suspicious activities in Kalos, Team Flare could be a huge thorn in the future for us. Removing the thorn right now will be beneficial for us." Spoke Giovanni for the first time in the conversation.

"Yes sir, don't worry. Nothing will escape these pretty eyes." Replied Jessie.

Giovanni ended the call, and all three relaxed in their seats. Now off to look for that Pikachu.

* * *

Ash had been traveling on the route for about an hour now, yet he couldn't see the end to the path. He was getting quite impatient, since he hadn't even seen many Pokémon in the wild, only a few rustles in the bushes here and there.

"Come on then Tauros, show us some of your speed!" Ash said excitedly. Tauros roared out and then barreled down the roads in joy, elated to run after such a long time.

After a few minutes of journeying, something caught his eye in the nearby woods.

"STOP!" He immediately called out. Tauros skidded to a stop, wondering why they were stopping. Ash immediately jumped off with Pikachu and while recalling Tauros, ran off into the woods.

He had seen a flash of fire and water among the trees and of course, being intrigued by it, he had wanted to explore the cause of disturbance. As soon as he stepped into an open area, he saw his reason for coming here.

There was a fight going on amongst some Pokémon. A Golduck and Doduo were beating down on a little bird Pokémon. Ash had to help out this Pokémon somehow, and battling wild Pokemon would let him test Froakie's experience and strength.

"Hey! Stop hurting that Pokemon!" He yelled to draw their attention off of the bird. Pikachu was already off his shoulder and on the ground in front of him as Ash thought about the Pokémon to use. Plucking the Pokéball off his belt, he released his first Pokémon from the Kalos region for his first battle.

"Froakie, I choose you!"

Froakie materialized on all four legs and gave a cry of acknowledgement. Ash got ready to deal with the Pokémon with Pikachu and Froakie. Doduo charged at them with a glowing beak, while Golduck was glowing blue. 'So, close range and long range, then..' Ash thought, while he raised his fist and got ready for the battle.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt on Doduo, stop it in it's tracks! Froakie use Water Pulse to stop Golduck's attack."

Pikachu was already off, back flipping around in the air as he released Thunderbolt on the Doduo, causing it to veer off course in pain.

Froakie put both his hands together as water was concentrated in his hand, forming a small sphere of water in his hand. He released the Water Pulse, hitting Golduck on the head, but not before it could finish it's attack.

It seemed to have used Confusion as Froakie was thrown to the side, in a blast of energy.

"Froakie, can you still battle?" Ash asked in concern for his Pokémon. Froakie gave a nod as he got ready to continue.

"Alright then, use Double Team and Pound on Doduo, Pikachu, use Thundershock on Golduck." Ash called out to finish this battle.

Froakie started hopping around as he created copies, soon there were over half a dozen Froakie heading for Doduo. Each Froakie raised a glowing hand, and slammed down on Doduo, sending it crashing back into the ground.

Pikachu stayed where he was and fired off a Thunderbolt towards Golduck, but Golduck hadn't been damaged much by Water Pulse. It managed to side step and dodge the attack, then came charging at Pikachu while being surrounded by water.

Aqua Jet.

"Pikachu!"Ash's eyes widened in surprise, he yelled out in distress. But Aqua Jet never hit. Golduck was hit from the side and sent flying. Golduck and Doduo crashed down, and after glaring at Ash for a few seconds, fled away.

Ash turned his head and saw that the tiny bird which had been lying on the ground previously, was fluttering weakly in the air with it's wings glowing, indicating Steel Wing.

"Woah! You're a very strong Pokémon!" Ash complimented the tiny bird while taking out his Pokédex. He scanned it and it said,"Fletchling, the Tiny Robin Pokémon. A Normal and Flying type. While it's an amiable Pokémon, if you touch it unexpectedly, it will heat up its body in an instant, and you'll be burned."

"Wow! You sound like an awesome Pokémon!" Ash said, as he looked up. He saw that Fletchling was looking at him with judging eyes, and after a few seconds, flew over to Ash, and perched himself on Ash's shoulder.

"You.. want to come with me?" Ash guessed by the Pokémon's actions. He chirped happily in reply, so first Ash took out a berry, followed by a Pokéball. Ash handed over the berry to Fletchling. Fletchling ate the berry and immediately felt loads better, as he chirped in delight. Ash pulled out a Pokéball, and tapped Fletchling on the head. He was immediately absorbed into the tiny Red-White contraption, which shook a few times and then showered sparks, indicating capture.

Ash attached the new Pokéball to his belt along with Froakie, and set off towards the route once again, determined to get his first Gym badge.

* * *

It had taken some time, but Tauros cut back on a lot of travelling time. His eyes had to get adjusted for a bit after coming out of Santalune Forest, into the harsh sunlight of Santalune city.

First, he would have to head to the Pokémon Center to heal up his Pokémon and switch his team, so that he could ask for a stronger gym battle, and so that he could spend time with all his other Pokemon.

He had to ask around a few too many times, but finally made it to the Santalune City Pokémon Center.

As he stepped inside, he saw Nurse Joy waiting at the counter, ready to receive Pokémon for healing. Ash walked up to her and handed over Froakie and Fletchling's Pokéballs, while placing Pikachu in the tray with them.

He then walked to the side where there were the communication booths for transfer of Pokemon. He rang up Professor Oak, but it was Tracy who picked up the call.

"Who is- Oh! It's you Ash, I'll go get Professor Oak right away." Tracy said in a hurry, and ran off to look for Professor Oak.

A few moments later, Professor Oak appeared on screen as Ash was thinking about which Pokémon to withdraw. He had overheard two trainers conversing about how the Gym Leader used Bug type Pokémon to her advantage. It would be a good opportunity to train his own Bug types, while a fire type to get an advantage would be useful. Lapras would also be a wild card in any of the Gym Leader's tactics which could involve the stadium, along with Froakie and Fletchling, of course. He would take Heracross, Leavanny and Quilava, while Gible and Pupitar would need to be trained up after he got his first Gym badge. For Gym battles Charizard, Infernape and Sceptile would have to go to the ranch. He wanted to keep all his Pokéballs ready to catch new Pokémon. So, the four new ones on his team except Pikachu, Froakie and Fletchling were, Heracross, Leavanny, Lapras and Quilava. His decision had already been made to let his other Pokémon have a chance since Pikachu had been traveling with him for so long.

Fulfilling his request, Professor Oak quickly brought the Pokémon and sent them over and received his three in return.

Ash received his three new Pokémon, and ended the call, just in time for Nurse Joy to make the call that his Pokémon were fully healed.

As he got his Pokémon collected from the lobby, and got ready to make his way out of the Pokémon Center, and challenge the gym, he bumped into someone he hadn't been expecting to be here.

"Gary!?"

"Ashy boy?!"

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: AND DONE! HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED THE CHAPTER. THE PACE WILL BE QUITE FAST FOR THE FIRST FEW CHAPTERS DUE TO HIM EARNING GYM BADGES BEING THE MAIN FOCUS(ALONG WITH OBTAINING NEW POKÉMON).**

**REVIEWS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME, MAKE SURE TO LET ME KNOW IF THERE ARE ANY MISTAKES IN THE CHAPTER. I DON'T HAVE A BETA SO I HAVE TO PROOFREAD IT MYSELF.**

**REMEMBER TO FAVORITE AND FOLLOW IF YOU LIKED THE CHAPTER. NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE UP IN A FEW WEEKS.**

**THIS IS OMEGALORDTHEFIRST.**

**PEACE OUT.**

* * *

**Before you all leave, I'll start having polls now and then, I'll let you know. So be sure to visit my page and vote on the choices. The current poll will be about changing just one Pokémon on Ash's team.**


	5. QA(Not a chapter)

Hello readers, old and new alike, this is OmegaLordtheFirst with an update to my story. This is me answering many of the questions that I have been asked throughout this series.

This isn't a new chapter, sorry :-(. This is me, hopefully, clearing all your questions regarding this story. Now, let's move on shall we?

Q1. Is Ash overpowered in this story?

A1. No. That will be a big NO. Overpowered stories take the thrill out of a story. You know the ending before a fight even begins. Take One Punch Man for instance, and though entertaining as it is, you still always know that Saitama won't lose.

You might be saying something like how he beat Tobias and noone in Sinnoh could beat him, so how could Ash beat him, if he's not overpowered?

Tobias, though he had legendaries, never bothered to train them to make them reach their full potential, Sceptile and Charizard's experience allowed them to gain the edge on the legendaries. Though that does NOT mean that they aren't strong. They are but just not enough to be soloing Elite 4s and Champions. Their level is definitely above that of average Pokémon, but they will have to struggle against the much stronger Elites and Champions. I am planning on addressing this issue in the later chapters.

Q2. Is Ash-Greninja a thing?

A2. Yes, and he will make an impact on the entire world. Just wait.

Q3. Amourshipping?

A3. It's in the description... But still, I will add that Serena will not currently travel with Ash. They will meet up in the later gyms.

Q4. Will Gary get Mega Blastoise?

A4. Sorry. No spoilers.*_wink_*

Q5. Why is the pace so fast right now?

A5. Ash needs to catch all his Pokémon in the unique situations that I cook up. Thus, the pace will probably be pretty fast for the first few chapters and then it will slow down, and focus more on the plot.

Q6. What about the Hawlucha poll?

A6. You guys voted. Hawlucha will be replaced by a Pokémon, which I have already chosen.

Here's a spoiler for my readers, Ash will catch it before battling Grant, the second Gym Leader.

Q7. How will you make Ash not just walk over the Gyms with his older Pokémon?

A7. SPOILER ALERT. Gym Leaders are supposed to be the strongest trainers of a region, so it makes sense if all them were given a Mega, am I right?

Q8. Is Pikachu being ignored?

A8. Well, if you read Chapter 2, you would know that Pikachu is awesome.

But... I will say that he won't battle in the first few gyms, because Ash is travelling with his old Pokémon after such a long time. So he wants to give them the chance to battle with Ash after such a long time. Both Ash and Pikachu understand this.

Q9. Is Team Flare the main villain?

A9. Team Flare is the central antagonist, but there's something bigger going on in the Kalos region.

Q10. What about a rival?

A10. I have been deciding on that topic for some time now. I'll put up a poll with some options in the future.

Well that's basically all the questions that i got. I tried my best to answer them all. If you still have some questions, feel free to ask me.

* * *

Here's something that I have been acknowledging in my mind, and didn't know how to do until now.

A huge shout out to all of my readers.

A huge, huge thanks to Skitty4 for being the first person to favorite and follow, me and my story. It was a huge moment for me to get my work acknowledged by someone in this world.

Enormous praise to LightiningFlameDragonSlayer for being the first person to post a review to my story.

I'm genuinely grateful to all these people for favoriting my story.

**antheys17**

**BlueEclipse395**

**Gamer David**

**MidnightRaider99**

**AsterShock**

**GamingSoldier86**

**Prasanna**

**JakeTyler482**

**Chandan2001maloo**

**animikiikaa**

**Amourshipper35**

**Andy 12356**

**Blazeknight26**

**GA Pokemon Fan**

**HentaiLover018**

**Isetba**

**Mad Hatter Stories**

**Muncher50**

**Zander24**

**argorok91939**

**rosedoug2110**

**Redlitten**

**hero93**

**Commander X Dalek**

**boomingmaster**

**Tgm102**

**smyrski63**

**dragonfire21**

**black dragon warrior01**

**ortizjimenezjohnalerxaden**

**BasilSing**

**ConstellarTenshi**

**Apennyearned**

**I love reading123453**

**RoGuE1989**

**arthuranna**

**asdasdasda**

**jeet granger**

**kjede**

**Invortex**

**demonix19**

**ShadesofGrey777**

* * *

And thanks all the same to these people for following my story:

**Digi Bonds**

**Gamer David**

**TheSwordMaster00**

**microsleep**

**MidnightRaider99**

**AsterShock**

**GamingSoldier86**

**JakeTyler482**

**Chandan2001maloo**

**Amourshipper35**

**Demonkid1**

**GA Pokemon Fan**

**HentaiLover018**

**LightiningFlameDragonSlayer**

**Mad Hatter Stories**

**Muncher50**

**TheFireGamerHD**

**Zander24**

**GSAM**

**Redlitten**

**cruzcartoon**

**Espeon35**

**AK2921**

**hero93**

**Commander X Dalek**

**boomingmaster**

**Cyber dragonarmy**

**Tgm102**

**smyrski63**

**sn7**

**Benstu600**

**Jeikobu Mayakashi **

**Norse Kode**

**black dragon warrior01**

**ortizjimenezjohnalerxaden**

**BasilSing**

**falsewarrior**

**ConstellarTenshi**

**Apennyearned**

**Rales Mckoy**

**RoGuE1989**

**Spitfire52**

**Zirconium40**

**arthuranna**

**brice51297**

**flamelily274**

**Invortex**

**OscarFinal1396**

**demonix19**

**ShadesofGrey777**

* * *

I am working on Chapter 5, give me 2-3 weeks. When it is finished it will be uploaded. Don't worry I won't abandon this fic.

This is OmegaLordtheFirst.

Peace out.

* * *

**EDIT: I OVERLOOKED THIS QUESTION, THIS IS JUST AN UPDATE TO ANSWER THAT.**

Q11. How does Ash have Unovan Pokémon already, isn't Unova after Sinnoh?

A11. Yes, but in my AU he went to Unova after Johto. Hope this clears that up, I even addressed it in my first chapter ( When Ash was reminiscing about his past wins and losses)


	6. Chapter 5-Santalune Gym Conquest

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKEMON. IF I DID, ASH WOULD HAVE WON A LEAGUE ALREADY.**

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry for disappearing like that. I'd been swamped with school work, but now that my summer break has started, I can get back to writing fanfiction. A new poll will (probably) be up on my page, so vote there.**

* * *

Chapter 5

Rivalry Renewed and Santalune Gym Conquest

* * *

**LAST TIME ON POKÉMON...**

"Gary?!"

"Ashy boy?!"

* * *

Yes, out of all the people in the Pokémon Center, it was Gary Oak, from Pallet Town. Childhood friends, and past rivals. Gary had gone off to work as a Pokémon Researcher, leaving the active battling circuit. Ash meanwhile had forged ahead with his dream of becoming a Pokémon Master.

"What are you doing here, in Kalos?" Ash asked.

"Well, I was in Kanto only for a few days, so that's how I got your Haunter. But now.. I am here to research about Mega Evolution. Ever heard of that, Ashy boy?" Gary replied.

"As a matter of fact I have Gary, I even have a Key Stone for it." Ash countered, and took it out to show Gary.

Gary snatched the Key Stone out of his hand and held it high in the air, examining it in the light.

With an indignant 'Hey!' Ash tried to reach for his key stone, but Gary kept it out of reach, due to his slightly superior height. Gary just kept it above his face and stared at it for a few seconds, then tossed it back at Ash, who caught it.

"What was that for?!" Ash asked angrily.

"Well, that was so I could identify a Key Stone if I found one myself Ashy boy." Gary shrugged while replying.

Ash grumbled for a bit, but suddenly an idea popped into his head as he asked,"Why don't you travel with me? It'll be like old times, me and you against the world. I'll challenge the Pokémon League, and you get to research Mega Evolution!"

Gary looked stunned at the offer, he didn't say anything for a moment then smirked and replied,"Sure Ashy boy. Just try to keep up with me."

And the bickering started again, though now with Ash Ketchum, Gary Oak was also joining him, on an adventure for the history books.

The Santalune City Gym had been close by to the Pokémon Center, so both had elected to walk over to the gym, instead of riding a Pokémon.

"So Gary, are you going to challenge the Gym too?" Ash asked, curious about how much his past rival has been battling.

"Nah, I only occasionally fight the tougher gyms to keep up my team's performance. Here in Kalos, the toughest ones according to my knowledge are the Anistar City, Snowbelle City and Shalour City Gyms, so those are the ones I'll be battling. I've got a decent number of fighters, though I prefer to battle against other trainers instead of challenging Gyms. Most of my Pokémon are for research purposes." Gary explained.

Ash shook his head in acknowledgement, he knew that Gyms were far apart and required quite a bit of travelling, so it was understandable that Gary only went for the toughest Gyms to keep up his veteran battling team's strength.

Ash stopped as Gary put a hand in front of Ash while pointing one finger to the side at a building.

"We're here."

Ash stared at the side, and realized that Gary was indeed correct. The Gym was to their right, with a Pokémon League logo at the top. Ash jumped excitedly at the prospect of a Gym battle, and ran inside with Gary trailing slowly behind him.

Ash looked around as he went inside and saw that pictures hung from everywhere on the walls. Pictures of Pokemon, people, scenery and just landmarks in general.

Suddenly a voice behind him spoke, causing him to turn around.

"Are you a challenger, requesting a battle?" It was a woman, looking a few years older than Ash, with a camera hanging from her neck. Before Ash could reply, Gary answered for him,"Yeah, the little kid's here to battle, I'm just a spectator."

The Gym leader looked at Ash, and Pikachu on his shoulder, in a judging way and clicked a photo of them before walking towards the battlefield.

"Well then, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Viola, the Santalune City Gym Leader. I use Bug types as my specialty." She informed them.

Ash hurriedly walked over to catch up with her, not wanting to get lost in the building by himself.

"Wait, why did you click that picture of me? And can I get a tougher battle, because you see... I've been training some of these Pokémon for a few years, so they have more experience than the usual starting Pokémon."

"Well, I clicked that photo because I thought that you and Pikachu's bond would make a great theme. As for your second question, how many new Pokémon have you caught which you want to use?" She replied without even looking back.

"Two." Ash replied immediately without hesitation. Froakie and Fletchling would be put to good use in their first gym battle.

She just nodded, and stepped out of the corridor into a huge battlefield, surrounded by some trees. Ash and Gary walked in behind her, looking around. As Ash went towards the battlefield, Gary proceeded towards the stands to watch the battle, along with a few Gym trainers sitting there. 'They must be training under Viola to take over the Gym' thought Gary, as he sat down.

Ash and Pikachu readied themselves for their first gym badge in Kalos. Pikachu hopped down from Ash's shoulder and stood on the floor, to let his trainer concentrate on the battle. Ash turned to face the electric mouse, and in a regretful tone said,"Sorry buddy, but I think you're gonna sit this one out."

Pikachu hung his head down in disappointment, though he agreed with his trainer's decision. His other Pokémon hadn't fought on his side for a long time. It wouldn't be fair otherwise.

The referee stood in the center of the battlefield and declared,"This is a full six-on-six battle between trainer Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, and the Gym Leader Viola. The trainer is allowed to substitute his Pokémon, while the Gym Leader cannot."

Ash adjusted his hat on his head, and got a determined glint in his eyes to win this battle. Viola had six Pokéballs on a stand next to her. She grabbed one and while throwing it yelled out,"I'm going to start it off easy, and slowly crank up the difficulty."

Ash nodded and made his choice, both Pokémon were released on the field at the same time.

Froakie against Surskit.

As soon as the flag was sent down signalling the start of the match both trainers reacted at once.

Ash called out first,"Get in close, use Quick Attack!" Froakie hopped around from place to place, while getting closer to Surskit.

"Stop it with Signal Beam!" Viola countered. Surskit quickly fired off a sinister looking beam of light straight at Froakie. Froakie determinedly ran forward, having trust in his trainer.

"Use Double Team to dodge it!" Came the reply. Froakie immediately created tens of copies, and Signal Beam ended up hitting a copy, missing it's mark.

Froakie slammed into Surskit sending it flying back. Although it wasn't enough to end it. It got back up just in time for Viola to call out,"Use Bubble!"

Froakie couldn't dodge the hit in time and was thrown backwards. It wasn't damaged much and still got back up again, ready to prove himself.

Ash grinned in excitement and Viola got ready to test the Kanto trainer.

"Ice Beam on the battlefield!"

Surskit unleashed Ice Beam on the ground an started covering all of it in ice. Ash's eyes widened in astonishment. Soon enough, all of the battlefield was covered in ice. Froakie tried to move, but it slipped on the ice, and shakily got back up. Ash realized what Viola was going for all along. She was increasing her mobility, while decreasing his own.

"Use Fell Stinger, Surskit!"

Ash had to think fast to avoid hi Pokémon getting knocked out,"Use Pound on the ground, and knock yourself up to dodge, then use your frubbles to stop it from moving!"

Surskit glided along the ice, and aimed it's leg at Froakie. Froakie's arms glowed white as it hit the ground. It wasn't a particularly powerful hit, but it did the job. Froakie was thrown into the air, where it grabbed the frubbles from around his neck and threw them at Surskit.

As soon as Surskit was beneath Froakie it got hit by the frubbles, trapping it with the ice.

Viola's gaped in shock, and shouted,"Get out of there!" It struggled to get out but it couldn't. While Froakie was still in the air, Ash called out,"Now, use Bubble!"

Froakie launched an array of bubbles towards the trapped Surskit, hitting it head on. Surskit slid back from the impact, and didn't get back up again.

"Surskit is unable to battle, Froakie wins. Gym Leader, send out your next Pokémon." The referee stated.

Viola didn't look disappointed as she recalled her Pokémon, in fact she looked happy. Happy because she was fighting a competent trainer. She picked up a second Pokéball and sent it out.

This was another Pokémon that Ash didn't recognize, so he took out his Pokédex and scanned it.

"Vivillon, the Scale Pokémon. A Bug and Flying type. Vivillon with many different patterns are found all over the world. These patterns are affected by the climate of their habitat."

Nodding, he pocketed the Pokédex and turned towards Froakie. The ice on the battlefield wasn't doing wonders for Froakie's mobility. He would have to send another Pokémon for now.

"Nice work Froakie return, now Fletchling, I choose you!" He called out.

His most recent team member came out of the Pokéball and started flying out excitedly at the prospect of his first battle.

"Use Poison Powder, Vivillon!"

"Blow it away with Razor Wind!"

Vivillon released purplish, noxious fumes towards Fletchling, but midway they were cut apart by Razor Wind, rendering the powder useless.

"Now, go in with Peck, Fletchling!"

"Blow it away with Gust, Vivillon!"

Fletchling's beak glowed white as he charged towards Vivillon. Vivillon retaliated with a huge Gust, sending Fletchling sprawling to the ground. He struggled a bit, but then managed to get back up, and flapped his wings raring to go.

"Let's speed it up with Flame Charge!" Ash grinned while shouting. Immediately, Fletchling was surrounded by an aura of flames and flew at Vivillon. It became noticeably faster, as Vivillon had no time to dodge and got hit head on.

Vivillon was about to fall to the ground, but steadied itself mid way, and turned towards Fletchling. Viola, at the same time, spoke,"Use Psychic now!"

"NO! Get out of there!" Ash shouted in panic. But it was in vain as Fletchling was hit head on, and sent crashing into the ground. He struggled to get up but couldn't. This was his first battle, and he would lose? No. Not today. Anger coursed through his veins, unlocking his hidden strength, and making his body change. His body shone with energy as it glowed with new found power. It's wings and beak elongated. Feathers sprouting on it's wings, and it's beak growing sharper. When the light diminished, a new Pokémon was standing in his place.

"Fletchinder!"

"Woah! It evolved! That's so amazing!" Ash exclaimed while taking out the Pokédex again. It scanned the new Pokémon and conveyed in a monotone voice,"Fletchinder, the Ember Pokémon. A Fire and Flying type.

From its beak, it expels embers that set the tall grass on fire. Then it pounces on the bewildered prey that pop out of the grass."

"If you think that an evolution will stop us, then think again! Now, use Acrobatics!" Viola shouted.

"We'll show you our power, match it with Steel Wing!"

Vivillon and Fletchinder both charged at each other. Vivillon's entire body was glowing blue as it moved, while Fletchinder's wings were glinting silver.

They both collided in the center of the field, and were stuck in a power struggle. Both refusing to give up.

"Don't give in Fletchinder, use Ember head on!"

Vivillon was stuck and unable to move, but Fletchinder opened his mouth and released a burst of flames straight at it, making it lose focus and collapse to the ground, eyes swirling in defeat.

"Vivillon is unable to battle, Fletchinder is the winner. Gym Leader send out your next Pokémon."

Viola recalled Vivillon with a thanks and took out her next Pokémon. A Durant.

Ash looked at Fletchinder and asked,"Can you continue, Fletchinder?"

Fletchinder shook his head in agreement and Ash got ready to continue the battle.

"Alright then, rev up with Flame Charge!"

"Stop it with Metal Sound!"

Fletchinder charged again, shrouded in flames. Durant clicked it's pincers together producing a horrible sound, which caused Fletchinder to veer off course, and crash into the ground.

"Push forward with Vice Grip!"

"Fletchinder, use Peck!"

Fletchinder couldn't get off of the ground, but still charged up his beak in determination. Durant skittered towards Fletchinder and clamped down on his beak with it's pincers.

"Now, use Thunder Fang Durant!"

Ash didn't know how to retaliate, Fletchinder's beak was trapped and it couldn't take off, effectively rendering it useless.

Durant's pincers charged with electricity as it remained clamped down upon Fletchinder. Fletchinder and Durant were both thrown back from the collision, but Durant got back up without much damage, while Fletchinder didn't.

"Fletchinder is unable to battle, Durant wins. Challenger send out your next Pokémon."

Ash recalled Fletchinder and mentally berated himself for letting Fletchinder take that damage. Viola really knew how to bring out the best in Bug types. He then steadied his nerves and looked back up, noticing that the ice was still there, untouched. He could use that to his advantage.

"Lapras, I choose you!"

His old friend from the Orange Islands materialized out of the Pokéball with a soft cry. She was happy after being released after so long and noticed the ice she was on. She looked back up and saw a little ant-like Pokémon on the ice, and got ready for the battle.

Ash grinned in excitement, bent on winning the battle. Viola also got a glint in her eye at the prospect of battling a strong Pokémon.

"Lapras, start off with Ice Beam!"

"Match it with Flash Cannon Durant!"

Both Durant and Lapras fired off silver and white beams respectively. Causing a collision in the center. There was a cloud of smoke between Lapras and Durant, covering them from the other's sight.

Ash took this time to set up his move,"Use Hail!"

Viola covered her eyes as a hail started battering away at Durant. She couldn't even see her own Pokémon. She heard Ash say,"Blizzard!"

But even then, through the hail, she tried to command her Pokémon,"Use Iron Defense, quick!"

Ice swirled around Lapras and started to head towards Durant, but it coated it's entire body in metal, protecting it from the bulk of the attack, though the sheer momentum sent it crashing into a tree side by.

Lapras stopped the onslaught of ice and waited patiently for the next move. Ash wanted to finish it up quickly and took the chance to finish it off.

"Use Aqua Tail on the ground to propel yourself, then finish off with Body Slam!"

Lapras hit the ground with a glowing blue tail, throwing herself into the air. Then she aimed towards Durant and crashed down on him, cracking the entire stadium's ice.

The hail cleared out to reveal Lapras laying on top of Durant, half embedded into the ice.

With a sad look Viola recalled Durant and praised Ash,"That's quite a Lapras you've got there. Durant didn't stand a chance."

Ash modestly accepted the praise and said,"Yeah, Lapras is amazing.. isn't she?"

Lapras cheered happily at the praise from her trainer and launched water into the air.

Viola then got a serious expression on her face and said,"But I won't be going easy on you, Ash. The real battle starts now."

Ash adjusted his gloves and pumped up his fists excitedly,"You bet!"

Viola quickly picked out another Pokémon and tossed the Pokéball into the air revealing a...

Scolipede.

Ash looked at the field and saw that the ice field was in ruins and was basically useless and uneven. Lapras wouldn't be able to move here at all. So with a quick 'thanks' he recalled Lapras, and sent out his next partner.

Leavanny materialized with a soft melody, and crossed arms. He got into a battle stance, immediately after seeing his opponent. Viola started off first,"Scolipede, start off with Venoshock!"

"Cut through it with X-Scissor!" Ash retaliated.

Scolipede spat out poisonous liquid at Leavanny, whereas Leavanny charged forward with his glowing limbs. He sliced apart the venom with his appendages, making the toxic venom fall to the ground with a 'hiss'.

Viola adjusted her camera, while Ash tilted his cap up, both getting pumped up by the battle.

"Alright Scolipede, let's push ahead with Megahorn!"

"Quick Leavanny, counter with Seed Bomb!"

Scolipede scuttled forward with a glowing horn on his head as Leavanny launched dozens of seeds at Scolipede. But Viola seemed to have been expecting this and countered,"Hit them all back!"

Ash got shocked by the speed at which Scolipede twirled it's head. It weaved in a circular motion, deflecting any attacks sent it's way, and slammed into Leavanny hard, sending him soaring back. Leavanny slowly got back up and took a defensive stance, to stay cautious of his opponent. Ash was proud of his Pokémon for battling so hard, and still staying hard. In retaliation, he shouted,"Alright then, let's try something new. Use String Shot!"

Leavanny shot off String Shot from his mouth, ensnaring Scolipede in his strings. Viola didn't look bothered much by it and countered,"Use Bug Bite to get rid off it!"

Ash was waiting for this opportunity and said,"Now, while it's busy cutting the strings, use Leaf Blade!"

Scolipede's fangs glowed green as they clamped down upon the strings, breaking them. Scolipede looked up and was as surprised as it's trainer when Leavanny was almost near it's face, and hit it, sending it crashing back. With a low groan, it got back up to fight.

Both trainers smiled at the close battle between the similar Pokémon, and shouted at the same time.

"Double Edge!"

"Leaf Blade!"

Leaf Blade collided with Double Edge at the center of the field, shaking it and causing an explosion. Both Pokémon were sent flying backwards in the direction they had come from, both refusing to get back up.

"Leavanny and Scolipede, both are unable to battle. Both sides will select a new Pokémon."

Ash and Viola both recalled their fallen Pokémon with a smile, not regretting any decision. Both simultaneously chose a new Pokéball and tossed it onto the battlefield to reveal..

A Quilava for Ash.

A Volcarona for Viola.

Ash had to be careful now. Volcarona were known to be very powerful, and if Quilava had to beat it, they would have to play the game cautiously.

Viola grinned and started off first,"Use Heat Wave, Volcarona!"

Ash quickly flicked out his hand as he shouted,"Use Flame Wheel, circle around it!"

Quilava immediately tucked himself into a ball, and started rolling on the battlefield. Most of the Heat Wave was pushed aside by the speed of the attack, though some of it grazed Quilava. As soon as Quilava was behind Volcarona, Ash shouted,"Use Flamethrower!"

"You use Flamethrower as well!" Viola countered. Both Flamethrowers met in the center and started combining together to cause a huge intensification of energy. All of it exploded outwards, throwing both Quilava and Volcarona to the ground. Volcarona landed in front of Ash, while Quilava landed on the opposite side. Both determinedly got up, not wanting to give up. Ash and Viola simultaneously smirked in exhilaration, this battle proving to be a good challenge for either trainer.

"Use Quick Attack to get in close, then Eruption, Quilava!"

"Stop them with Silver Wind, Volcarona!" Viola shouted in panic.

Quilava ran fast towards Volcarona, despite being battered by Silver Wind. He ignored the pain and charged headfirst towards Volcarona. As soon as he was below Volcarona, the flames on his back grew to enormous sizes and exploded, trapping Volcarona in a swirl of fire. Volcarona was thrown from the explosion and landed harshly on the ground.

"Volcarona! Can you still continue?" Viola asked in worry. Luckily for her, Volcarona lifted itself off the ground and fluttered it's wings weakly trying to fly. It settled for a mild hover over the ground.

Ash was amazed at the Volcarona being able to take such a powerful attack. It was still fighting. He grinned and got even more pumped for seeing her final Pokémon.

"One final Swift, Quilava!"

"Counter with Signal Beam!"

Stars materialized over Quilava, as they were launched towards Volcarona, spinning and circling as they went. Volcarona launched off Signal Beam towards Swift. The incoming stars were hit down with precision, though a few collided with it, sending it down for good, with swirls in it's eyes.

"Volcarona is unable to battle, Quilava is the winner. Gym Leader send out your final Pokémon."

Viola recalled Volcarona with a sad smile, though she didn't regret anything. She picked up a final Pokéball and held it out for Ash to see.

"Now Ash, this is my strongest Pokémon. Don't get scared so easily. Are you sure you're ready?" Viola smirked while saying.

"I was ready for this battle, the moment I stepped into this Gym. We're going home only AFTER we get the badge." Ash replied with an equally excited expression.

"We'll see about that. Now, come out Pinsir!" Viola shouted while throwing out her Pokéball. It revealed a powerful looking Pinsir, ready for battle. But it didn't stop there. It had a shiny stone hanging by a hook locked onto one of it's pincers. Viola flipped her camera towards Ash to reveal a smaller, albeit similar stone attached to the camera as well, and tapped it once. Both of the stones glowed as tendrils of light connected them together, power flowing through each tendril, changing Pinsir. Evolving Pinsir.

Ash had to look away from the bright light for a second, and when he turned back, he saw a Pinsir he had never seen before. It's horns had elongated, and were covered in spikes. Wings had grown on it's back and were buzzing rapidly. It's eyes had gone from white to shining yellow. Ash could feel the power difference from before and now easily. He looked at Quilava, unsure if he he should battle right now or not.

Ash was super excited. He had never seen Mega Evolution before. This was Mega Pinsir. Ash knew that this was going to be an amazing battle for him. Even up in the stands, Gary looked interested with the phenomenan, taking out a recorder to record the match.

"Do you want to continue Quilava?" He asked for his Pokémon's opinion, not wanting to disregard his wishes. Quilava shook his head rejecting the idea. He wanted to battle, even if he might lose. Just to show his determination.

Ash nodded and turned back towards Viola, saying,"We aren't giving up now, you can count on it. Use Burn Up!"

"Match it with X-Scissor!"

Quilava made the flames on his back burn brighter and brighter as he gathered energy. He fired it all off towards Pinsir, in a desperate final blow. Pinsir seemed to remain almost unaffected, as it blew through the Burn Up with X-Scissor, and hit Quilava. Quilava crashed painfully into the wall behind Ash, and slid down, not able to get up.

"Quilava is unable to battle, Pinsir is the winner. Challenger send out your next Pokémon."

Ash recalled Quilava with a shaky hand. He almost couldn't believe it. Quilava had been beaten so easily, granted he had already been damaged heavily by Volcarona, but still. Then he steeled his nerves, his drive to win was fueled by determination. With all his might he threw the last member of his team into the air, shouting,"Heracross, I choose you!"

The blue colored Bug and Fighting type materialized on the field while flexing his muscles. He saw the strange, but powerful, looking Pinsir in front of him and took a guarded stance. Heracross and Pinsir were natural rivals, so they were perfect opponents for each other.

Both trainers prepared themselves for what was probably going to be the last stretch of the battle. Ash pulled on his gloves and Viola adjusted her camera simultaneously.

"Start off with Megahorn, Heracross!"

"Use Vice Grip! Show them your power!"

Heracross and Pinsir both were charging towards each other, horns glowing. They clashes together and refused to budge. Heracross was clamping down on Heracross's horn from both sides.

"Use Vital Throw to fling them away!"

"No! Get out of there!"

But try as he might, Heracross couldn't break out of Pinsir's tight grip on his horn. Pinsir lifted Heracross with his pincers and threw him into the ground. Heracross skidded backwards and grounded to a stop. He got back up groggily, still wanting to prove himself. Ash quickly countered with his own move,"Use Brick Break!"

"Still won't learn Ash? Match them with Aerial Ace!"

"Watch it carefully then dodge!" Ash retaliated.

Heracross kept a watchful eye on Pinsir as it blurred in and out of view. Left, right, up, down. No movement went unnoticed by Heracross. Suddenly it disappeared from view completely, but Heracross knew where he was coming from. He had watched enough Pinsir in the wild to know their attack patterns completely. He ducked low to avoid the potentially devastating blow that could have knocked him out. Pinsir's glowing fist passed right above Heracross's horn by a hair's breadth. Heracross turned around and punched Pinsir right in the chest, sending him into the ground. Heracross flew back quickly, to get some distance between himself and his enemy.

Pinsir quickly got back with an evil look in its eyes. Heracross glared right back unflinchingly. Viola quickly picked up the pace, shouting,"Charge them with Bug Bite!"

"Use Horn Attack!"

Heracross and Pinsir both charged once again, determined on beating the other. One's horn glowing, the other's teeth. They met in the center, and created a collision to rock the field. They both flew back and crashed into the ground. Both slowly lifted themselves up, determination the only thing keeping them standing.

"Heracross, let's finish this with Close Combat!"

"Stop it with Superpower Pinsir!"

Both Bug types trudged over to each other. Punching and kicking each other, wherever they could. Each blow given, and the pain forgotten. Soon enough, both of them stopped attacking and just waited there for the other to fall.

Ash and Viola put all there efforts into one last attack.

"Double Hit to end it Pinsir!"

"Use Hyper Beam, now!"

Heracross charged up energy with half lidded eyes, while Pinsir slowly raised it's hand and punched Heracross once. Before the other hit could land though, Heracross shot Pinsir with a huge beam of light, completely engulfing it. The light vanished as Pinsir was shown to be still standing, along with Heracross.

Then, simultaneously both of them collapsed to their knees. Then a second of pause.

Then Pinsir collapsed. That did it. The decision was final.

"Pinsir is unable to battle, Heracross wins and with 3 Pokémon still remaining, the challenger Ash Ketchum is the winner."

Ash and Pikachu jumped into the air together as they celebrated their victory, while Heracross proudly, albeit weakly, raised his fists.

Up in the stands, Gary whistled, clearly impressed by the match. Ash had gotten even stronger since he had last seen him. On top of that, taking notes on a Mega Evolved Pokémon was an added bonus. The other trainers were watching with mixed expressions of sadness, anger and agreement.

Ash and Viola walked to middle of the stadium to shake hands, showing no hard feelings.

"Congratulations Ash, you beat me. As proof of your victory, I offer you the Bug badge." Viola said while taking out a badge from her pocket and handed it to Ash.

"Awesome! We just won the Bug Badge!" Ash said as he raised the badge high over his head in a pose. Pikachu and Heracross also jumped in excitement along with him.

"Nice battle Ashy boy. I see you haven't gotten slower since your last battle." Gary said as he approached them, one hand in his pocket the other holding his backpack which was slung over his shoulder.

"Of course not Gary, and I'll get much much stronger now!" Ash replied with zeal.

Gary just chuckled and said,"Yeah, yeah now come on. We need to get out of the city by nightfall. Don't slow me down."

Ash's eyes widened in shock,"Yeah! You're right. Come on Pikachu Let's go!"

He recalled Heracross as he thanked him for the amazing battle, and ran out of the battle along side Gary. Viola just snickered lightly watching them go.

Ash had just gotten his Pokémon healed at the Pokémon Center. Gary was reviewing the footage from the Gym Battle, writing down the color, behavior, look and dimensions of the Mega Pinsir. Ash didn't really understand much of it, so he took to the battlefield to train up Pupitar and Gible.

They were pseudo-legendary Pokémon, or atleast they could be, so they were the toughest types of Pokemon to train up. Though he could feel that both Gible and Pupitar were close to evolving. He tossed out their Pokéballs onto the field.

"Tar!"

"Gible!"

Both Pokémon came out with their respective cries. Gible looked around in confusion as to what was happening. Ash knelt down next to both of them and spoke in a soft voice,"Hey guys, today we'll focus on you two specifically. We're gonna get a lot stronger, am I right?"

They both let out excited cries and got ready for the training. Ash pit both of the Pokémon against Pikachu and told them to keep it low so that noone got hurt.

"Alright then, Pikachu start off with Quick Attack! Pupitar use Stone Edge! Gible use Dig!"

Pikachu raced on the field, circling around Pupitar as Gible disappeared underground. Pupitar summoned stones around him in a sphere, and flung them at Pikachu.

"Send them back with Iron Tail! Gible now!"

Pikachu jumped as he spun around his tail and hit the stones back at Pupitar, though he remained relatively unaffected. As soon as Pikachu landed Gible appeared from beneath the ground and bit Pikachu's tail.

"Alright, now Electro Ball!"

Pikachu charged up a small amount of electricity in his tail, concentrating all of it into a ball and fired it inside Gible's mouth. Gible let go of his tail quickly and scrunched his mouth, feeling an odd, but not painful sensation in his mouth.

As soon as Pikachu jumped back and landed on all four paws, a net was fired off from the side and stuck onto both Pikachu and Pupitar, capturing them together.

"Hey! What's the big deal!" Ash shouted, clearly annoyed.

As soon as turned around he saw it. A large balloon, shaped like a Meowth. Internally he let out a groan,'Not these guys again'. Three figures were visible in the balloon. Two people and a Pokémon.

"Prepare for trouble"

"Make it double"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"And James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare for a fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"Team Rocket! What are you doing to Pikachu?!" Ash yelled out in frustration.

"Well, what does it look like? We're stealing Pikachu and you can't stop us." Jessie teased him.

"Not if I have anything to say about it. Me and Gible are still left. Gible use Rock Climb!"

Gible immediately took off, stones raising into the air as Gible jumped off each one to get even higher.

"Now, Slash!"

"Not if Meowth can do anything about it!" Meowth gave a laugh as he jumped into the air and stopped Slash with his own Fury Attack, then proceeding to backflip into the balloon as Gible landed on the ground.

"Alright then, we'll just have to hit you from here! Use Draco Meteor!"

Gible fired off a sphere into the sky, which slowed as it peaked height. Then it split off into several orbs and hurtled down at high speeds in all directions. As soon as some of them were about to hit Team Rocket's balloon, Wobbuffet jumped up and his entire body was covered with a glow, as soon as an orb hit his body it was reflected back towards Gible.

Mirror Coat. A move which reflects Special Attacks back at the opponent.

No one had time to react as it hit Gible, exploding directly in his face.

"Gible!" Ash shouted in panic. He had to have taken good damage from that hit. And Ash was right. There was a crater in which Gible was struggling to stand. He staggered ahead as Team Rocket laughed, getting even further away. For the first time Ash saw an angry look in Gible's eyes. He gave off a pained cry as he was shrouded in light, which abruptly ended as they saw the spectacle before them.

Gible's body was elongating, his arms and legs getting a more defined shape. He was growing jagged fins on his arms and his face changed from a circular to a more oval shape.

"Gabite!" It gave a cry as the light died down, revealing the new Pokémon.

"Awesome! Gible you evolved into Gabite! Now let's show them!" Ash yelled in excitement.

Gible, without a word, just took off. It was surrounded by a purplish glow as it moved. Gaining momentum as it flew.

Dragon Rush.

He crashed into Team Rocket's balloon with such force that Pikachu and Pupitar's net fell off, right into Ash's hands. The balloon was already damaged, moving down slowly, instead of up. Pikachu untangled himself from the net and jumped onto the ground, sparking his cheeks angrily.

"Send them away with Thunderbolt."

Pikachu sent off a Thunderbolt flying in their direction. It hit the balloon, making it explode and sending Team Rocket soaring into space.

"We're blasting off again!" Was heard throughout the city, as the trio blasted off and disappeared as a twinkle in the sky.

Ash stared off into the distance for a second, after which he turned back towards his three Pokémon on the field.

"You all were so amazing! Gabite even evolved from Gible!"

The Pokémon took in the praise happily, Gabite going as far as to biting Ash's head, though it was more playful than aggressive.

Quickly recalling them, Ash headed inside, to get them quickly checked up for injuries. He was getting excited at everything that Kalos would have to offer. Mega Evolution, new rivals, new friends and new Pokémon.

* * *

**Author's Note: I think Gym Leaders should have more powerful Pokémon since they are referred to as the eight strongest trainers in a region. So, Mega Evolution Pokémon for each Gym Leader seems fitting, but only if the trainer asks for it. Regarding me giving genders to Ash's Pokémon, it makes them seem more like a living creature, rather than an object. **

**If you have any particular opinion for a Pokémon's gender, feel free to voice your opinion. I'll only assume the gender of those Pokémon whose gender is Unown(see what I did there, no? I'll leave now), otherwise I'll try to follow the Canon genders.**

* * *

**Author's Note 2: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, if you have any questions feel free to PM me about it, or leave a review. Don't forget to favorite and follow if you like the story, motivates me to continue my writing.**

**Concerning the story, I'm currently debating on certain topics, so expect polls to be up on my page(if not now, then in the future).**

**Expect next chapter in two weeks, not before that. Sorry for my slow typing. Forgive my hands.**

**This is OmegaLordtheFirst.**

**Peace out.**


End file.
